Living Grace
by auntof3
Summary: In the unrelated aftermath of a case, Danny was forced to realize that there was only one other person that he trusted more than himself when it came to Grace's safety – and that was Steve. He had no idea just how much he was going to have to rely on his partner and best friend to get through the nightmare that would change his life forever. Danny/Steve/Grace - Whump for all!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I'm not new to fiction writing, but am relatively new to the Hawaii Five-0 fandom. A huge thank you to Irene Claire for the read through and for encouraging me to post this here. I hope you enjoy, and I'd love to know what you thought.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Hawaii Five-0, CBS, and the like; and gain nothing from writing this story. **

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**Chapter 1**

Steve, Danny, Chin and Kono were tired. Check that. They were beyond tired. The team had been stationed at the Palace practically around the clock for the past few days, working to break up a drug trafficking ring that had tried to take hold at Kukui High School.

Steve and Chin obviously had a very vested interest in what happened with their alma mater, and Danny abhorred any combination of drugs and children. Kono had spent some time volunteering with at-risk youth, and had seen what happened when the kids felt like they had no other choice in life. Needless to say, this one had become personal for the entire team. Despite their efforts, however, 3 teenagers were found dead, thanks to a contaminated shipment that had been traced back to a group of local kids trying to carve out a niche for themselves on campus.

The three deceased teens were not your typical high school drug users. In talking with the families of the dead high school students, they were given much the same information regarding all three kids. Decent grades. After school jobs and/or helped around the house. Good behavior in school. They were vanilla, for lack of a better description. Nothing stood out as memorable where they were concerned.

The team had interviewed a few classmates of the kids, and reported back almost identical notes. Most of the kids they spoke with had a hard time even placing just who the victims were. A couple of them knew of their names. A few might have recognized their faces. But most had no real idea just who these kids were. None of the three dead were students who would have been considered even remotely popular, which apparently made them the perfect target for the drug distributors.

After a few dead ends, the team had finally gotten a break. They had done their homework, and were slated to make the bust within the next hour or so. They were just waiting on HPD to provide some additional manpower and backup, and they wanted to have an ambulance on standby, just in case.

Danny snorted to himself – Steve actually had agreed to wait for backup. Maybe Grace had gotten through to him? A couple of weeks ago, Danny had overheard part of a conversation she had had with him during one of their get-togethers on Steve's lanai. He hadn't heard the entire conversation, but from what he could gather, her 'friend' Tommy was mouthing off again.

As he flashed back to what he heard, he had to laugh. His daughter had managed to get through to Steve in one conversation, whereas the entire team had spent months trying to get it through the SEAL's thick skull that waiting for backup was not a bad thing.

_"Uncle Steve? Can I ask you a question?" Steve could tell that Grace was tentative, so he put down the grill utensils and reached for her hand, leading her towards the chairs that faced the ocean._

_He sat down and turned toward the dark haired little girl. "Sure, Gracie. What's going on? Are you okay?" He looked concerned. It wasn't like Grace to seek him out for any type of serious conversation, and he was a little apprehensive at what might be the matter. _

_She looked down and stared at the grass underneath her feet. "I'm okay, Uncle Steve. I'm just worried about Danno."_

_Steve looked toward where Danny was standing with Chin. He looked okay. Was something wrong?_

_"He's okay right now, Uncle Steve. But…" She trailed off, not sure how to say what was on her mind. _

_Steve could tell that she was struggling, and wanted to make things easier if he could. "You know, Gracie. Sometimes when you have to talk about things that are hard, it's easier to just spit it out. Don't think too much about it, and just say it."_

_Grace dropped her eyes to her lap for a few seconds before squaring her shoulders and taking a deep breath. "It's just…well…Tommy said that Danno was going to get really hurt working for Five-0 because you guys have a really dangerous job. He also said that his dad told him that you were a danger magnet, which is stupid, because people can't be magnets."_

_Steve chuckled softly. She was so much like her father when it came to her conversation skills. He forced himself back to what she was saying, not wanting to miss anything._

_"…and I told him that he was being a jerk face, and that what his dad told him was wrong. You know what the word backup means don't you Uncle Steve? It's not a hard word, so that must mean that Tommy's dad was wrong, wasn't he?"_

_Steve shook his head. He had missed a bit of what she had to say, but he got the gist of things pretty quickly. Apparently, Tommy's dad was spouting his mouth off again, which had Tommy sharing the wealth, and which had Grace pretty afraid for Danny's safety. "Aww, Grace. Don't worry. Tommy doesn't know what he's talking about. Of course I know what the word backup means. Danno will be fine. Don't you worry."_

_As he said that, however, he realized that while he knew what it meant, he owed it to Grace (and to himself and the rest of his ohana) to actually practice the concept more often. Danny was his partner, as well as his best friend. It was his responsibility to do whatever he could while out in the field to make sure that Danny made it home to his daughter – that they all made it home to their loved ones._

_He let out a soft grunt as Grace flung herself into his arms. "Thank you for listening, Uncle Steve. I knew Tommy was wrong. I knew you would keep Danno safe all the time. I love you."_

_Steve couldn't help but get choked up a little bit. It wasn't often that he allowed himself to get emotional like that. He couldn't help it where Grace was concerned, though. It was no secret that he wasn't especially comfortable around kids, but Grace had managed to chip away at his insecurities, and he quickly came to realize that there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for that little girl._

So it was because of his internal promise to Grace that he and Danny were leaning on the hood of the Camaro, a block from Kukui High School. This should be a relatively easy take-down, although it wasn't without risks. It was a half-day on campus, and there were going to be more students around than any of 5-0 were comfortable with. Hopefully by not waiting in the school's parking lot, they would avoid any of the drug sellers getting spooked ahead of time and preventing them from doing anything extremely stupid. They could get in and get out, and end this thing once and for all.

In theory, it was a good plan. The bust was not without incident, though. Danny was involved in an altercation with one of the suspects (_why did they always run?_), and as he tackled him to the track next to the football field, had landed wrong. He immediately felt a searing pain in his shoulder. "Shit! You dumbass! I told you not to run. Why didn't you listen to me?"

The teenager smirked. "Dude. You're old. I figured I could outrun you."

Danny roughly shoved a knee into his back, and snapped the cuffs on him one-handed. He grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt. "Up. Up. Get up." He propelled him back towards where the team was, the look on his face daring the teenager to try to run.

The pain almost took his breath away, and he had to shake his head to clear the dark spots from his vision. He had dislocated his shoulder before, but this was a whole other level of hurt. Something felt very different this time around.

He got back to where Steve was waiting, and quickly pushed his suspect into Duke's arms. As soon as he was free of his capture, he bent over at the waist and grabbed at his left shoulder. He needed to sit down, now.

Steve quickly jogged over and placed a hand on Danny's back. "Danny? What happened?" He wasn't going to ask him if he was okay – it was obvious that he wasn't.

Danny forced a breath out through his teeth. "Tackled him. Shoulder's out. Hurts." Danny wasn't a wuss by any stretch of the imagination, but he was struggling. He was starting to have some numbness down his arm along with the searing pain all through his shoulder, and was afraid that he had really done some damage this time.

Steve carefully guided him toward the waiting ambulance, as Chin and Kono met up with them.

"D? You okay?" Kono was definitely concerned at how pale Danny was, and shared a quick look with Chin.

"Um. No?" Chin moved to Danny's other side, quick to lend a hand if he was needed. They quickly got him seated on the waiting gurney, where they were glad to see one of their 'usual' paramedics on shift. Noah had come to know Five-0 – mostly through Steve and his propensity for explosions – and normally liked to joke with the team, but could tell that Danny was not in the mood, so he rapidly ran through the usual poking and prodding. He quickly got Danny on some oxygen, not liking the way the pain was stressing out his blood pressure or his breathing.

Danny blanched as the EMT tried to check for range of motion in his shoulder, and had it not been for Kono standing behind him, he may have toppled backwards off of the gurney. As it was, he had to breathe deeply to clear the tunnel vision that was threatening to pull him under.

Noah apologized, and carefully finished his exam, knowing that Danny needed to get to the hospital and get this taken care of. He gently placed a pillow in between Danny's arm and chest and used an elastic wrap to secure it in place. Once that was taken care of, he and Steve helped Danny turn so that he was resting against the back of the gurney and buckled the straps securely. They got him loaded into the back of the ambulance, before Noah motioned for his partner to head for the hospital.

The ride to the hospital didn't take too long, but Danny wasn't really paying attention. He had broken into a cold sweat, and his whole upper body felt like it was on fire. He was concentrating on keeping his stomach inside of him where it belonged, and at the same time, not breaking his 'non-puking' streak. Danny could handle pain – he had Steve for a partner – but whatever was going on with his shoulder was off the charts.

Once he arrived at the ER, things moved fairly quickly. Steve waited in the waiting room and got the paperwork sorted out, while Danny was sent for some imaging tests. Once he was back in the cubicle, he asked his nurse to find Steve and send him back. He knew that he would be stuck here a while, and the company would be welcomed.

Steve poked his head around the curtain and grinned at the slight glaze in Danny's eyes. He was on the happy juice, thank goodness. "Hey. How are you feeling?"

Danny blinked owlishly a couple of times before finally getting his thoughts together. "I think I'm numb. Which is good. So very good. Compared to earlier – I mean, damn, that sucked."

Steve could see that Danny still had his arm strapped to his side and was resting somewhat uncomfortably, but at least he was resting. "Any word from the docs yet?"

Danny shook his head. "They should be in pretty soon. They were going to read the scans and come and let me know what was going on. Hopefully it's nothing serious."

Steve nodded as there was a slight knock on the door frame. Danny motioned the doctor in once he poked his head through the curtain. "Dr. Maclean? So what's the damage?"

The middle-aged doctor caught the rolling stool with his toe and moved it towards the gurney. He plopped down with a sigh and looked at Danny while shaking his head. "There's no easy way to say this, Danny, but your shoulder is a mess. If you remember the last time you dislocated it, you were told that there was a higher likelihood of it happening again. But this time, not only are we dealing with the dislocation and a slight fracture of your collarbone, you have also damaged ligaments; and because of some of the numbness you are experiencing, I'm worried about possible nerve damage."

Danny swallowed hard at those last three words. Even though it was his left shoulder – his non-shooting shoulder – he was still worried about his career, especially if he had permanent nerve damage. There wasn't much of a job market for one-armed task force members that he knew of.

Steve lightly squeezed his unaffected shoulder, drawing him back to Dr. Maclean's explanation.

"So as I was saying, the procedure is pretty straightforward. The surgery can be done arthroscopically, although we may have to do an open repair if things are messier than we thought. Regardless of the method, though, we will go in and reset your shoulder, repair the ligament damage, and deal with the damage to the rotator cuff. I'll also have a vascular surgeon available in case we see any damage with the nerves or blood vessels, although I'll be honest when I say I don't think we're going to find any problems. The initial numbness that you felt is starting to resolve, which is great news. Surgery, provided there are no complications, will take a few hours, and then depending on your recovery, we can get you out of here a day or two after that. We really need to keep a close eye on things for the first day – fever, infection, and the like. Also, those nerves are delicate, and we want to make sure everything looks good before we send you home, especially with your job."

Danny was trying to take it all in, so Steve tried to think of what he would want to know if he were the one lying on the gurney. "Once the surgery is over and he's home again, what is the prognosis for recovery? How long before he's back up to full speed?"

Dr. Maclean took a deep breath. He had a feeling that his patient would not like his answer, but frankly, he didn't have a choice in the matter. "Provided that there are no complications, Danny is looking at a minimum of 8-10 weeks for full recovery, although that time could vary a little in either direction. He'll be in a sling following the procedure, and will need to be diligent with physical therapy in order to fully heal." Noticing that Danny was once again paying rapt attention, he turned his focus back to his patient.

"The 10 weeks is for a full recovery, although you will be able to go back to work sooner than that. You will be on restricted duty, but you will be at work. It's important that you follow your recovery plan, or you are looking at complications that you don't want. You need to have full range of motion, and full strength before we will consider your recovery complete. Please understand, though, if you push things or don't follow your rehab program, you could have to have surgery again. So please, Danny. Let us do our job."

Danny nodded, although he felt a bit like he had been kicked in the gut. At least it wasn't his shooting hand, so there was that. He took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. "Okay, Doc. What's the timeline? When can we get this party started?" He knew Steve was surprised at how quickly he had agreed to everything, but Danny knew that the sooner he got this taken care of, the sooner he could get on with things.

He was due to have Grace this weekend. Stan and Rachel were in England visiting Rachel's mother, so rather than pull her out of school, Rachel had decided that Grace could stay with Danny for the entire two weeks that they would be gone. Grace was going to be spending the next two nights with her best friend, and Danny would pick her up on Friday night, as planned.

Dr. Maclean checked the computer before looking over at the detective. "You're in luck, Danny. We've got an OR free, so within the next thirty minutes or so, we'll take you back and get you prepped. We're going to go ahead and get some pre-op meds on board, so you might be a little out of it. Do you have any questions for me?"

Danny shook his head and looked at Steve. "Steve? How about you?"

Steve could tell that Danny was a little apprehensive – who wouldn't be? But it all sounded pretty straightforward. "No…I think you've covered it."

Dr. Maclean finished entering orders into the computer and reached over to shake first Danny's, and then Steve's hand. "Don't worry. We'll get him taken care of." With that, he left the curtained area to go and prep for the surgery, while a nurse came in with a variety of syringes.

It wasn't too long before Danny was starting to float, without a care in the world – all thanks to the wonders of modern medicine. Little did he know, however, that his world was about to be upended and blown to pieces. How those pieces would fall remained to be seen, but one thing was certain – things would never be the same again.

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Grace Williams might only be 10 years old, but ever since she was a little girl, her Danno had stressed the importance of always paying attention to the things around her. He never obsessed about it, but quietly taught her how to be safe, making it an important part of her everyday life.

Right now, Grace was paying attention to some very important things. She was scared, she was alone, her hands and feet were tied up and she had a cloth covering her mouth so that she couldn't cry out. It was dark, and she was getting more and more anxious with every passing moment, although she tried to stay calm like Danno had taught her. Just thinking of Danno made her want to cry from missing him, and she blinked furiously to keep the tears from falling.

Her head hurt – she thought it might be from the cloth that the man put over her face. It had a sweet smell, and now that she was starting to wake up, it was making her very sick. She vaguely remembered kicking at the men who had taken her from her nanny while she was on her way to Alana's house, and her throbbing cheek was evidence of them not being very happy with her fighting back. She was Danny Williams' daughter, however, and there was no way she was going to go anywhere quietly.

She felt a rocking motion, and assumed that she might be on the water somewhere, but couldn't hear any sounds that would clue her in to who had her or what they wanted.

What Grace couldn't tell, though, was that she was about a mile offshore, locked inside a trunk and adrift in a small boat– all because one Mr. Randall Murdock couldn't stand the fact that Detective Danny Williams had put him in prison for the past six years. Never mind that he had been convicted of selling assault weapons to a minor. It was Danny's testimony that had sealed the deal, and therefore, all of his problems were Danny's fault.

During the duration of the trial and sentencing, he had developed a twisted sense of right and wrong. Over the course of those long six years, that feeling had never gone away. While he was in prison, his marriage had fallen apart. His son wanted nothing to do with him. He had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. With all of those things weighing on him, Randall knew one thing. He truly had nothing to lose, and someone needed to pay for the wrongs that had been thrown at him. That someone was Detective Danny Williams.

Knowing people who were tech savvy was an unexpected bonus for Randall, and he used it to his advantage. Now that he was finally out of prison, he would use the information that he had collected over the years about Danny and his family. He now knew where Danny was, and just who was most important to him. He would strike quickly, and would show him what it felt like to lose everything, just as he had.

He believed that Danny owed him in some way to right the wrongs that he felt had been done to him. There was no need to worry about being caught. He really didn't have that much time left. But after this one last loose end, his work here was done.

Arranging to have Grace Williams taken away from her father would be his ultimate vow of revenge.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for the reviews, follows, and alerts. I really do appreciate them. This chapter is a little bit shorter, but it's where it needed to break. I hope you enjoy!**

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Danny was pleasantly floaty, now that the pre-op meds had started to kick in. Although there was still quite a bit of pain, he couldn't make himself care. He was mesmerized by the fluorescent lights buzzing overhead, which entertained him greatly, as evidenced by his periodic exuberance at his discovery.

Steve kept having to cover his mouth to keep from chuckling every time Danny squinted curiously at the lights, trying to figure out just where the noise was coming from. His head looked like he was at a ping-pong match, as he looked back and forth from one light fixture to the next, trying to pinpoint the loudest spot.

As Chin and Kono stepped into the room, Danny immediately put a finger to his lips. "Ssssshhhhhh! Quick, you guys. Get in here!"

Steve just shook his head, as the two cousins carefully came into the room.

"Uh…hey, brah? How's it going?" Kono had a gleeful smile on her face, while Chin just smiled softly to himself.

"Listen! Guys, listen! Don't you hear that? It. Is. Awesome!" Danny rested against the pillows with a goofy grin on his face, his mind about a half-second slower than his mouth. He tried to point at the ceiling, but couldn't make his good arm work around the IV attached to it. He switched his focus to the clear plastic tubing taped to the back of his hand, and quickly became distracted. The rest of his ohana just smirked. Danny was stoned out of his mind.

They looked to Steve for an explanation. "Apparently Danny is gifted with supersonic hearing while on the good drugs. He's been listening to the lights buzzing for the past fifteen minutes."

Kono just pulled a stool up next to Danny's gurney and affectionately rubbed his arm. This really wasn't atypical. They had all experienced medication-induced anomalies at one point or another. "So what's the word?"

Steve glanced at his watch. "They should be coming to take him to pre-op in the next few minutes. We can wait up on the 3rd floor for him to get out of surgery, and then settled into a room. The shoulder's pretty messed up, but they think that it should be a straightforward repair. They'll just need to watch him for a day or two for any complications, but if all goes well, he should be fine."

Danny was staring wide-eyed at Steve's explanation. "Poor guy. Sucks to have a messed up shoulder. I hope he gets better soon."

Steve couldn't suppress his grin. "Yeah, Danno. It does suck for the poor guy with the messed up shoulder." Danny was nodding in complete, serious agreement, having no idea that he was the subject of their conversation.

Just then, they heard a faint ringtone coming from the bag containing Danny's things. It was his cell phone. Steve grabbed the plastic bag and searched through to find the phone. Noticing that the area code was from New Jersey, he handed the phone to Danny, against his better judgment – there was no telling how well Danny could follow a conversation right now.

"Hello?" Danny's voice was a little slurred, as the effects of the medication wound their way through his system. He heard humming for a few seconds, and then a male voice was heard singing a very distinct line to a song.

"'T'was Grace that taught...my heart to fear.' So tell me, Detective Williams. Do you know what fear feels like?"

Danny blinked at the voice in his ear. He wasn't sure who this was, and couldn't seem to make his brain figure it out. "What are you talking about, Grace teaching my heart to fear? Who is this?"

Steve had an uneasy feeling, as soon as Danny mentioned Grace in that context. It could be nothing, but to be on the safe side, he motioned to Chin, who had already pulled his own cell phone out. Thanks to Toast, they all had phones that were synced with technology that allowed them to run traces right from their mobile devices. Their hacker associate had also developed a program that would allow them to simply touch their phone to another one in their system and share information. Chin quickly tapped his phone to Danny's and got to work.

There was a frustrated sigh on the other end. "I'm hurt, Detective. After six long years, you don't remember me? Well, I remember you. I thought of you every single fucking day that I was locked up. So tell me. How is Grace? Is she well? I know what she means to you, and would hate to see anything happen to her."

Danny blanched at the implication and sobered as much as he could. "Listen, you sick bastard! Do not touch my daughter. I swear, if you hurt her at all, I will end you."

All Danny heard for a few moments was a menacing chuckle on the other end of the phone. "Don't worry, Detective. I will be dead soon enough, so you don't have to be concerned about that. But before my physical life comes to an end, I have one gift for you. Because of you, I lost everything. So my gift to you is knowing that you now know what it feels like to lose everything as well."

Chin motioned to Steve and Danny, while Kono furiously typed on her phone. "Randall Murdock."

Danny felt his stomach drop. He was waiting for the epiphany that would tell him just who this psychotic asshole was, but there was nothing there. He just didn't remember. The last thing he heard before the line went dead was the humming sound of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat".

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Randall had done his homework in hiring the Paikuli cousins – Mako and Ka'ula – to take care of things on the island. They had absolutely no qualms about their kidnapping victim being a child. Money was money, and it didn't matter who their package was, they would make sure the job was done. As long as they got paid, they didn't care about collateral damage.

So they weren't bothered by the fact that the little girl had gotten bounced around a bit. They had grabbed her in the park, and had tossed her into the back of their van. They weren't expecting her to fight back as hard as she had, so Mako, especially, felt no remorse in hitting her once to shut her up before shoving her roughly.

Ka'ula took pleasure at the terrified look on Grace's face. He tied the gag tightly around her mouth and ran one hand down her long dark hair. "Hope you enjoy your nap, keiki." He placed the chloroform-soaked cloth against her mouth, a sinister smile ghosting across his face as she kicked and squirmed before finally going limp in his arms.

They pulled off into the employee parking lot of the distribution center. They knew that they had about 5 minutes before the next wave of delivery vans went on their runs, and they planned to use their stolen van to blend in. Nobody would even notice their departure.

Mako hurriedly joined his cousin in the back of the van. They unlocked the large steel trunk and opened the lid. Without preamble, they roughly shoved Grace into the trunk, leaving her hands and feet secured. They didn't blindfold her – their instructions had been explicitly clear. Their boss had wanted her to know what was happening to her.

Once Grace had been stuffed inside, they shut the lid and clicked the padlock shut. Checking the area around them, they saw that the vans were starting their routes, so they quickly headed out into traffic and turned towards the marina. They had one step left of their job, and the rest of the money would be theirs.

Fortunately for Grace, the two goons hadn't been very careful when loading the trunk and securing it to the steel bench on the rubber boat, and one end of the handle had broken off. It left her a small hole by her head with which to get a little breathable air – otherwise things would have gone much further south, much more quickly.

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Danny just stared in shock as Steve gently removed the phone from his hand. _What in the hell had just happened? Who was Randall Murdock?_ He blinked a couple of times, trying to ignore the fear that had laced its fingers around his gut, before finally shaking his head and making up his mind. If something had happened to Grace, he needed to get out of here.

He threw the sheet off of his lap and swung his legs off to the side, nearly kicking Kono in the process. "Whoa, Danny. Where do you think you're going?" Fortunately, she had hold of one of his arms, and was able to keep him from falling forward onto his face, thanks to the medications that were doing their job in getting him relaxed and ready for his surgery.

"Gotta go," he slurred. "Gotta get Grace." By this time, Danny was a solid lump of dead weight, and it took both Steve and Chin's help in getting him back up onto the gurney.

"Sorry, Danny. I get that you need to be out there – I really do. But you are in no shape to do much of anything except let the doctors fix you up." Steve was apologetic as he tucked the blanket back around his partner, but knew that right now, he had to try to keep Danny calm. They didn't have any concrete information to go on, so they weren't entirely sure what they were dealing with.

Just then, Dr. Maclean poked his head into the room, followed by the nurse and an orderly. "Okay, Danny. Are you ready to go get that shoulder taken care of?" He nodded to the two staff members with him, and they started making preparations to get him moved to the pre-op area. The nurse injected another medication into the IV port and double checked the line.

"No, no, no. I can't. I have to get Grace! I have to…she needs…I…" Danny was mumbling as the effects of the earlier sedative finally started to pull him under.

Kono pulled the doctor aside to explain some of what they knew. It would be important to understand and manage Danny's anxiety as the afternoon wore on. While she was doing that, Steve placed a comforting hand on Danny's good shoulder. "It's all right, Danny. We'll take care of things. We'll get it all sorted out, yeah? And the minute you are cleared and released, you will be right there with us, okay?"

He knew that Danny probably wouldn't remember this part of the conversation, but he hoped that on some level, Danny knew that they would all do what they needed to do to figure out what was going on with Grace.

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	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you again for all of the alerts, and thanks to those who took the time to review. I appreciate it! **

**I still don't own anything remotely related to Hawaii Five-0. No copyright infringement intended.**

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Grace didn't feel well at all. Her head hurt a lot from where it hit the side of the trunk. She thought there might have been some blood, but she couldn't tell for sure. She had been shoved onto her left side with her arms tied behind her and her knees drawn up. Her feet were tied as well, but at least they weren't connected to her hands. No matter how she squirmed, though, there was just nowhere for her to rest that was comfortable.

She tried moving her chin up and down against her shoulder to try to get the cloth off from her mouth, but she only got it to move a little before she had to stop. The rocking motion, which had gotten worse with the impending storm, combined with the pain in her head made her feel like she might throw up, and that wasn't something she wanted to experience right now.

She tried to remain calm but it was getting harder and harder – she was terrified, and wanted her Danno, or her Uncle Steve, or _someone_ to find her. She was afraid that nobody knew where she was. It was that thought – that she was completely and utterly alone – that made the tears flow in earnest. She tried to stop crying, because it was hard to breathe through her nose with it all stuffed up, but she couldn't help it. _What if nobody found her? What if…?_ She really didn't want to think about 'what if', especially if the answer she came up with scared her to death.

With tears trickling down her cheeks, she closed her eyes in the cramped and darkened space and dozed into a restless sleep. The effects of the chloroform were still in her system, and sleeping was all she had the energy to do right at that moment. She had no idea of just what the two men had done to get her where she was, and how perilous her situation really was, which was good. If she had known, the panic just may have been more than she could take.

_(Flashback)_

_The Paikuli cousins had worked quickly to finish out their instructions. Once they were at the marina, it didn't take them long to get the trunk onto the fishing boat. They had covered the trunk with a tarp, so to the naked eye, it looked more like supplies for a leisurely day out on the water, instead of a means to an end for Randall Murdock and his revenge. _

_Once they were onboard, Ka'ula had navigated the boat out towards open waters, while Mako worked to inflate the dinghy, using a small foot pump. It only took about fifteen minutes to fully inflate, which was more than enough time for Ka'ula to arrive at their coordinates._

_Quietly, so not to give anything away, they secured the trunk to the rubber raft. It was a small vessel – no more than nine feet in length – and was designed for use in a variety of water styles, including open water. It would suit their purpose just fine. _

_Assured that everything had gone according to plan, they made one last sweep of the area, making sure they were still alone. Once they were confident that they had no audience, they carefully set the raft off the back of the fishing boat and watched it bob gently in the waves, moving slowly away from the larger watercraft. _

_They hurried to start the motor on the fishing boat, and turned back towards the marina, leaving Grace locked in the trunk, completely alone and adrift at sea._

_(End Flashback)_

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Steve, Kono and Chin stood shell shocked in the cubicle after Danny was wheeled off to surgery. None of them were quite sure what was going on, but they were sure as hell going to find out.

"Hey, Boss. Kono and I are going to head back to the office and see what we can track down on Randall Murdock. I'm wondering since the call came from Jersey, if it may be related to an old case of Danny's? We'll call when we know something."

Steve nodded as they jogged down the hallway. He had a couple of phone calls to make, starting with Rachel. She and Danny's relationship was tenuous at best, although they were trying to keep things more amicable for the sake of Grace. But Steve knew how quick she was to throw the blame bomb at Danny, and he wanted to prevent that at all costs.

He found a chair and dropped into it, his head in his hands. How had things gotten so messed up, so quickly? He sat back up and blew out a frustrated breath, quickly reining in his emotions. He had to stay focused. Grace and Danny were counting on him. He knew he was in for a long day, and figured he ought to take time to grab some coffee while he could. He found the nearest stairwell, and jogged down one flight until he reached the cafeteria level.

Once he had fueled up, he reached for his phone, fully intending to make that call to Rachel. Before he could do that, however, Danny's phone rang again. He glanced at the caller ID before hurrying outside. "Hello?"

All he heard was sobbing on the other end of the phone. Steve knew who was on the other end, thanks to the name on the screen, so he tried again. "Mia? It's Steve McGarrett. Are you there?"

Grace's nanny took a couple of shallow breaths and tried to calm herself down. "I'm here, Commander. Is Danny there?" She didn't know what to do, but if anyone could help, it would be Danny or Steve.

"Uh, no, Mia. He's not available right now. He was hurt on a case today and is in surgery to fix his shoulder. Is something going on with Grace? Danny got a weird phone call right before he was taken back to the operating room."

Mia started crying again. "I tried, Commander. I really did. But there were two of them, and they had a gun. They hit me, and I fell, and…" She trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.

Steve took a deep breath. He needed to try to calm her down and figure out what was going on. "Mia? Listen to me, okay? You're doing great. Just tell me what happened, all right?"

He could hear her trying to control her breathing, and gave her a few moments before he spoke again, trying to distract her for a few seconds. "Mia? Are you hurt at all? Do you need medical attention?"

She blew out one more shuddering breath before continuing. "I'll be okay. It's just…it's Grace. They took her, and I…they…they have her, and I don't know where she is."

Steve swore under his breath. It was what he was afraid of. "I'm going to have you stay on the line while I patch in to Chin's phone. We'll need you to start from the beginning. Just tell us everything you remember, even if you don't think it makes sense."

He was quiet for the time it took to connect through to Chin, hoping he was at the office by now. "Hey Chin? I've got Mia on the line with some information about Grace. You're going to want to hear this, too."

Mia started from the beginning. She explained how she had taken Grace to the park after her school's early dismissal, as was their usual Wednesday after school ritual. They had stopped for a shave ice, and were cleaning up the table before heading back to Mia's car. The park was relatively deserted, which was normal for that time of day.

She never even saw the men approaching, it all happened so fast. Before she knew what was happening, she had been hit in the head and had fallen. She was stunned, and through her daze, had seen one of the men try to pick Grace up.

Grace kicked at one of the men, catching him in the knee. Mia started screaming for help as the larger of the two men backhanded Grace across the cheek in retaliation, before his smaller counterpart slipped a cloth over her mouth and nose, keeping it there until she went limp.

From there, everything happened so quickly. The larger man kept a gun pointed at Mia, while the smaller one picked Grace up. They had threatened to shoot her if she tried to move before five minutes was up. She couldn't be sure that they didn't have another man watching them, so she reluctantly complied with their wishes.

"It's all my fault. If anything happens to her...I shouldn't have waited those five minutes. Damn it! I should have done something…anything…if I had, I might have been able to help her. I didn't help her!" She was nearly hysterical, hating the fact that she felt like she had failed Grace.

Chin's voice was low and calming as he spoke. "Mia, it's okay. You did what they asked. It's always best to do what they want in situations like this. If you hadn't, and they did have another guy in place, you might not have been here right now to tell us what you knew. You absolutely did the right thing, I promise."

Steve added on to what Chin had said. "Mia, listen to me. You didn't do anything wrong here. Your safety is as important as Grace's. Now I want you to do us a favor. Can you get down to Five-0 headquarters? I want you to work with a sketch artist and help us see if we can't figure out just who those guys are. Can you do that?" Steve was pacing in the small courtyard just off of the cafeteria, his sense of urgency rising with every second. A storm was coming in, and time was of the essence. They needed to find Grace, _now_.

Mia's voice was quiet as she replied. "Yeah. I can be there soon."

Chin had placed Mia on speaker phone while she was talking, and it was Kono who tried to encourage the young woman. "Mia? It's Kono. I'll wait for you out front and we'll get this done, okay? Just drive safe getting here."

As soon as they heard Mia disconnect the call, Steve was all business. "Chin? What did you find out?"

Chin took a deep breath. "Randall Murdock. Age 35. He spent the last 6 years in federal prison for selling assault-style weapons to minors. It was Danny's testimony that put him away."

Steve swore softly. "Anything else?"

Kono piped in. "Yeah, Boss. It seems like this guy blames Danny for everything that happened while he was in prison. We talked to the warden, and from what he said, Randall made it known how much he hated Danny. His marriage blew up. His son hates him. In his mind, it was all Danny's fault. We're waiting for a warrant to unseal his health records, but from what we can tell, he may have cancer, too."

Steve wasn't sure how this guy ended up out of prison with all of his hate-filled ranting, but that really didn't matter right now. All of that built up rage, combined with a poor quality of life, meant that Mr. Murdock had nothing to lose at this point. That made him a very dangerous man. If revenge was his end game, there was nothing stopping him from destroying everything that stood in his way.

"Okay. I'm going to call Rachel now. Let me know what you find out from the sketches, okay? We need to find these bastards now." He hung up Danny's phone and blew out a frustrated breath.

Before he could do anything else, his own phone rang. "McGarrett."

"Mr. McGarrett? This is Okelani Takeo. I'm Detective Williams' surgical pre-op nurse. He's very adamant that he speak with you immediately. Is it possible for you to come up to the 3rd floor? He's quite agitated, and we're having a difficult time settling him down."

Steve was already running for the stairs. "I'm on my way."

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It didn't take Chin long to find matches to the sketch that Mia had provided. Mako and Ka'ula Paikuli had a rap sheet a mile long. They were hired muscle, willing to do anything to anyone, for the right price. The question was, just what did they do to Grace?

The challenge now became finding them. He knew that before too much longer, the weather would become problematic, as the skies had let loose a torrential downpour. Granted they never lasted long, but every minute that they were not searching for Grace was too long.

He called Sergeant Duke Lukela and put an immediate APB out on the two cousins. He also wanted to talk to Kamekona and see if he had heard anything that would help. He knew that the big guy loved Grace, and would do whatever he could to assist in finding her.

Ducking into his office, he grabbed some of his equipment and went in search of his cousin. "Hey, Kono. Can I use your car? I don't want to take my bike out in the rain. I thought I could drop you by the hospital, and you can fill Steve in on what we've got. I'm going to go talk to Kamekona and see if he's heard anything about our two stellar citizens."

She nodded and snatched her messenger bag from her office. "I hope he knows something. Otherwise, we're going at this blind, and that worries me."

Chin ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Me, too, cousin. Me, too."

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Steve burst through the door at the landing of the 3rd floor stairwell. He scanned the area before hurrying to the phone on the wall of the pre-op unit. As soon as the receptionist picked up, he identified himself and waited as the door was opened from the inside.

It took him no time at all to locate where Danny was. He could hear him protesting from the curtained area two beds to his left, so he hustled to his best friend's side, where the nurse had her hands full. She glanced at him with a bit of relief. "Commander McGarrett? I'm Okelani. Thanks for coming so quickly."

Steve nodded before turning to where Danny was. It was clear that he was distraught, and if he didn't calm down, could do more damage to his shoulder than he had already done. "Easy, Danny. It's okay. I'm right here." His voice was gentle, much like one would use when speaking to a spooked animal.

Danny locked his wild eyes with Steve's. "Grace? Did you find her? I need to tell you…" He trailed off with a hiss of pain and a muffled curse, as he accidentally jostled his shoulder trying to turn to see Steve.

"Danny, stop. You need to settle, okay? Just take it easy for a minute." He waited for Danny to catch his breath, before sitting down on a stool that was placed next to the middle of the gurney.

It took Danny about thirty seconds before he had any color back on his face and he was able to focus on Steve. "Sorry. Did you find anything out?"

Steve nodded slowly. "Our best guess is that Randall Murdock somehow blames you for him ending up in prison. You testified at his trial, and he ended up with six years for selling assault weapons to a minor. We also think we know who he paid to take Grace. They're just hired muscle, but at least we know who we're looking for."

Danny's eyes were shiny as he remembered what he needed to tell Steve. "Her bracelet. If she's wearing it, it can help locate her. After Peterson took her, I never wanted to be that unprepared again. I bought her a bracelet, and it has a GPS tracking chip inside of it. My phone…the program is on there."

Steve placed a soothing hand on Danny's arm, leaning over to hug him briefly in thanks before standing back up. "I got it, Danny. That's good. We'll find her. Don't worry."

One tear slipped down Danny's cheek as he reached up to clasp Steve's hand. "Steve, I…" His voice broke and his face crumpled. "I trust you. I know you'll find her. I trust…Just bring my baby back to me. Please? Just bring her back. She's scared…and alone…and…" He couldn't go on. He shattered completely, the emotions stemming from a place of pain, medication, and fear. All he could do was sob as he thought of his daughter going through something so horrific, and him not being able to help her.

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**A/N2: I took a few 'technological liberties' in this chapter, but I hope they are plausible. I'm not sure if this type of device is even available, but if it was, I could see Danny buying it for Grace.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I went back and changed the 'technological liberties' from the last chapter to make the device a bracelet, rather than a ring. Still being somewhat inventive with this idea, but now it feels more plausible, based on the research I've done.**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything remotely related to Hawaii Five-0, and no copyright infringement is intended.**

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All Steve could do was pull Danny carefully towards his chest, mindful of his shoulder. He knew that between the pain, the medication, and the fear, Danny was at the end of his rope. Danny clung weakly to his arm, so completely wrung out that he was incapable of hearing any comforting words at this point. Steve only hoped that the physical contact pushed through the panic.

Wiping his own eyes against some suspicious moisture, Steve murmured soothing words and waited for Danny to settle. After a few moments, he felt Danny relax against him and helped him lean back against the pillow.

He saw Okelani fiddling with the IV and knew that he had been given the final pre-op sedating medication. He hated that Danny went under so afraid for Grace's safety, but knew that not only was the operating room staff on a tight schedule, but that Danny needed to be calmed down so that he didn't do more damage.

The older nurse smiled at him as he adjusted the blankets over his best friend. "Don't worry, Commander. We'll take good care of him. Just do what you need to do to bring his daughter back to him, okay?"

Many of the hospital staff had come in contact with various members of the Five-0 team from time to time, and knew just how much Danny's daughter meant to him – and to the rest of the team as well.

Steve swallowed thickly and nodded, the mask slipping over his face once again as he exhaled. He had work to do, and would stop at nothing to bring Grace back to her ohana. His phone chimed a text message, and he pulled it out quickly, glancing at the screen.

He typed out a short reply before turning to Okelani once again. "I'm headed back to the office to check on a couple of things. Kono is here, and will wait with Danny – especially while he's in recovery and then in his room. I can't imagine he'll be too willing to stay put once he's a little more coherent. Kono can keep him in line."

Okelani just grinned. She had no doubts that the youngest Five-0 member would come in handy. "I'll keep her updated, okay? Just bring his keiki back safe."

Steve nodded as he headed back out towards the waiting room. He saw Kono, and headed towards where she was seated by the window.

Kono pretended not to notice as Steve wiped his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. This case was already an emotional firestorm, and it had barely gotten started. "Hey, Boss. What've you got?"

Steve sat down with a sigh and shook his head. "Danny's a mess, Kono. He's in pain, and he's broken, and there's nothing I can do to help him."

She placed a comforting hand on his arm. "Don't worry, Steve. We'll find Grace and get her back, and all of this will just be a bad dream."

Steve knew it would be much more complicated than that, but appreciated Kono's optimism. "I need you to stay here with Danny. You know as well as I do that the minute he's awake, he's going to try to take off. He can't risk screwing up his arm like that. Do what you need to do to keep him here – full means and immunity applies to you as well, in this case."

Kono chuckled as she thought of the fight she would have on her hands. She wouldn't blame Danny, though. If it were someone she loved as much as Danny loved Grace, there was no way she'd want to be on the sidelines – injury or not. "I've got it, Boss. You just do what you need to do. Keep me updated, okay?"

Steve nodded as he hugged his teammate briefly before turning towards the stairs. As soon as he was in his truck, he put in a quick call to Chin and arranged to him meet him back at headquarters. They needed to access the tracking program on Danny's phone, and see if they could pick up Grace's location.

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On the way back to the office, Steve had finally been able to leave a message for Rachel. She hadn't been too keen on picking up her phone, so he left word asking her to call him back when she had the chance. He knew that she was with her mother, and may not be in an area where she could talk.

Her almost immediate return phone call, however, became quite animated, as Rachel was emotionally ripped in half at the decision that lay before her. Rachel's mother was gravely ill and wasn't expected to make it past the next 24-48 hours, but she also desperately wanted to be there for Grace. Steve understood the pull – it was her daughter, and it was her mother. Whichever place she ended up, it would be the wrong place for one of her loved ones. There was no 'win' in this whole situation.

Stan had offered to fly back to Hawaii in her place to be there for Grace, but Steve had reluctantly told him to wait. He could take care of Grace and Danny for the time being. Truthfully, they really didn't have a lot to go on yet, and at this point, he felt that it would be better for Rachel to have the support with her in England.

The flight itself would be upwards of 20 hours, provided there was only one stop, and it would be better to wait until they had more information. He hated the whole clusterfuck of a problem, knowing that no matter what happened, lives would be unequivocally wrecked.

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Grace was sick. The rocking had increased tremendously in the few minutes that she had been awake, and she and she was beginning to get bounced around within her tiny confined space. Every once in a while, her head banged against the side, bringing tears to her eyes.

She didn't know what was happening, other than she really felt like she was going to throw up. She was dizzy and had a really bad headache. She wasn't sure what was worse – the dizziness making her head hurt, or her pounding head making her dizzy.

It was getting to be a little bit hard to breathe inside the box, too. It was starting to become uncomfortably hot and stuffy inside there, and she was starting to get more and more anxious as time went on.

She had to try to make some noise, though – it was what Danno had taught her to do. Shifting as much as she could, she started to strike at the end of the trunk opposite her head. She kicked and kicked – probably twenty times – until a sharp pain in her leg forced her to quit. She rested for a few minutes, exhausted.

She had no way of knowing that she had been gone for close to four hours now, and that there was nobody around to witness her efforts. She hadn't had any food or water, and although the initial effects of the chloroform had worn off, the remaining health concerns still lingered.

She had started to tremble, which she found odd because she wasn't cold. She also felt like she had to cough, which was hard to manage around the gag. She had continued to try to work the bothersome cloth off, but the knot was too tight.

The brief storm had made the sea much choppier, making the dinghy bob up and down like a cork. Waves splashed over the sides of the small raft, and while there was no immediate danger of capsizing, the more water the craft took on, the worse things would eventually get.

Although the storm had ended, having the sun out brought another set of problems for the young girl. Heat on the steel trunk had ramped up the temperature even more. The team needed to figure out where Grace was, and fast.

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Steve burst through the doors of the Palace with Danny's phone clutched in his hand. Chin was already there, and had fired up the smart table. "So Danny said that Grace has a GPS chip inside of a bracelet that she might be wearing. The tracking program is here on his phone, so hopefully we can figure out where she is."

Chin immediately rested Danny's phone on the table, and synced the data, sending it to the screen with a flick of his wrist. "Okay. We have the program. Let's see what kind of information we can get."

He fiddled with the keyboard for a few moments before allowing himself to exhale. "Okay. I think I may have her. Looks like she's just over a mile offshore, southwest of Honolulu Harbor. The program that Danny uses seems to periodically wipe out the old coordinates and replaces them with the new ones. I was able to recover the last coordinates just prior to her current location, and I think they may have taken off from Pier 2 and headed out to open waters. It's the marina that makes the most sense, given where she is now."

Chin handed him Danny's phone. "The program is up and running, and should keep triangulating her location every ten minutes or so. I'm going to meet up with Kamekona and see if he's gotten any information on our wayward cousins, but I have the program running on my phone as well. I'll have a Coast Guard helicopter on standby, ready to go airborne as soon as you get there."

Steve clapped him on the shoulder before he ran for the door. "Thanks Chin. Keep in touch." Steve ran for his truck, knowing that he had his emergency pack stowed inside. He also put in a quick call to the Governor. They would need all of the help that they could get.

Once Steve was gone, Chin pulled security footage from the various cameras stationed at the marina, hoping it was the right location. Running facial recognition, he doggedly sorted through the footage until he found what he was looking for. "Gotcha, you bastards." He printed out the photos and headed for his bike. Hopefully Kamekona knew where these two liked to hang out.

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By the time Steve had met up with the Coast Guard, Danny was out of surgery and in the recovery room. He was really struggling with the effects of the anesthesia. This wasn't his first surgery, but he had never reacted like this before. Kono was getting increasingly worried about him.

Initially, he had difficulty awakening. It had taken Kono literally yelling at him to get his eyes to even flutter open. Even then, though, he wasn't truly awake. He was disoriented, and for the brief few seconds that he was somewhat coherent, was combative to the point that they needed to restrain his good arm. He had taken a swing at one of the nurses, and while none of them blamed him, they couldn't risk his or their safety.

Kono sat next to his bed, keeping one hand on his arm. She could see his eyes rapidly flitting back and forth beneath his eyelids, and knew that while his body was still, his mind was working overtime. "It's okay, Danny. You're okay. The surgery is over, and you're in recovery now. Steve is on his way to find Grace, so you need to stay strong, all right?"

She grabbed a washcloth from the shelf by the sink and wet it with cold water. Wringing it out, she folded it and placed it on his forehead, hoping the cool would soothe him.

After about ten more minutes, Danny started shifting his head from side to side. Kono motioned for the nurse, rightfully assuming that Danny was waking up.

"Detective? Can you hear me? I need you to squeeze my hand if you can hear me." The post-op nurse, Keilea, waited for a response. It took a few seconds before she was rewarded with an answering squeeze. She made a few notations on her computer charting.

Kono was near his head, hoping that her voice would ground him. "You're doing really well, D. Can you open your eyes?"

Danny turned his head towards her voice and scrunched his eyes shut. The more awake he got, the worse he felt. He swallowed convulsively a couple of times, before murmuring one word. "Sick."

Keilea knew that Danny had a standing order for anti-nausea meds, so she quickly dumped them into his IV port before placing an emesis basin by his head. "Danny, my name is Keilea. I'm your nurse in post-op. I need you to open your eyes for me. Danny? Open your eyes. I'm going to keep bugging you until I get what I want, so you might as well cooperate.""

Danny struggled for a few moments before finally forcing his eyes open. He groggily looked around the room, before locking eyes with the nurse.

"That's great, Danny. I've given you some medication to help with the nausea. It might make you sleepy, so if you get tired, I don't want you to fight it, okay? Everything is fine. You just had a bit of a reaction to the anesthesia, which is why you are feeling so poor."

He nodded before turning his head and noticing Kono standing next to him.

"Hey, brah. It's good to see you more awake." She kept her voice low, knowing that Danny was not feeling that great right now. She switched the washcloth to the cooler side, before placing a comforting hand on his forehead. "Your surgery is over, and now you just have to get better, okay? Everything is going to be all right."

Danny just sighed, eventually giving in to the pull of the medication.

He was blissfully unaware of the turmoil that was happening over the open waters of the Pacific Ocean, which was a blessing. If he had been awake enough to know everything that was happening with his daughter, he might have wanted to give up entirely.

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**A/N2: The whole anesthesia reaction that Danny had? Yep. That was me. From the nausea to the full-on being restrained after I took a swing at a pregnant OR nurse. I obviously don't react well, to say the least. Go me!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you so much for the alerts! I know not everyone reviews after they read, but I appreciate your interest in this story. I also have to say thank you for the reviews as well - it makes me happy, knowing that you take a few seconds to let me know what you liked...kind of makes my day, actually. You guys rock!**

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Above the Pacific, things were getting more tense as time passed. The helicopter had been in the air for about fifteen minutes, and they had yet to find Grace. They knew that based on her signal, they were getting closer, but closer just wasn't good enough where Grace was concerned.

Without warning, though, the signal coming from Grace's bracelet cut out, leaving Steve and the Coast Guard flying somewhat blind. He quickly connected to Chin. "Chin? I lost her coordinates. What's going on?" Steve was frustrated, to say the least. They still had about five more minutes of flight time until they would be in the general vicinity, but now Danny's phone was showing a blank screen.

"Yeah, I've got the same thing on my end. I'll keep trying to get it back, but it could be a dead battery, or it's out of range, or…" Neither man wanted to even think about what the 'or' could mean, so they focused on what they did know.

"You have an estimated location. The best I can give you is that you'll have to switch to a full-on visual search." Chin hated when technology failed him, but he knew that nothing was foolproof.

Steve swore as he disconnected the call. Speaking into the headset, he let the pilot know to keep on the course they had, but that they would have to rely on visuals to find the boat.

The pilot dropped a little closer to the water, as they approached the last known area of transmission. Everyone was eyes on as they started their search pattern. The problem was, they didn't know exactly what type of watercraft they were looking for, so they had to be on the lookout for anything.

The flight mechanic, along with the rescue swimmer, were watching out the port side of the helicopter, while Steve and the pilot kept eyes out the starboard side. They had prepared a comprehensive emergency pack, not knowing what they would encounter once they found Grace. Both Steve and the rescue swimmer were outfitted in wetsuits and fins, in case they needed to hit the water.

They had been methodically flying their grid, slowly narrowing the dimensions of their sector pattern, when the rescue swimmer tapped Steve on the shoulder. "Commander? I may have something. It's off the port side, approximately 700 yards due west, near your nine." Steve knew that he meant in the spot that would have looked like 9:00 on a clock face, with the nose of the helicopter pointing towards twelve. He quickly unbuckled his seatbelt, grabbed the binoculars and scanned the area.

At first, all he saw was the crest of the waves breaking. After a few moments, though, he caught sight of what may have been a small boat of some kind. It was hard to tell, though – the white blended in with the tops of the waves.

No sooner had Steve seen the same flash of white that the Ensign had seen, it had disappeared. It was incredibly difficult to spot a boat on the water on a clear day, but after the storm, the seas were still rather choppy. The motion of the waves made it that much more like finding a needle in a haystack. He only hoped that it _was_ Grace's boat that they had seen – if not, then based on the barren ocean as far as the eye could see, they truly had no idea where she was.

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Danny had been moved to a room on the orthopedic floor, once his vital signs had normalized. He was still extremely groggy, and hadn't fully awakened, but the staff felt that he was stable enough to transport.

Kono hadn't left him since he got to his room – she knew the amount of fear and anxiety he was feeling, and didn't want him to wake up alone. Currently, she was sitting on the small couch underneath the window, staring out at the parking lot. Chin had called to fill her in on the status of the rescue, and how the signal had cut out; as well as his search for the Paikuli cousins. Kamekona hadn't heard back from his contacts, but hopefully would soon.

Her thoughts were a jumbled mess. What would happen to Danny if they couldn't find Grace? Or worse, what would happen to him if they found her too late? What would happen to the entire team? Grace had become a very important part of their family, and she couldn't imagine Hawaii without her.

Hearing a slight cough, Kono turned to see that Danny was starting to wake up. She hurried to his side, and gently perched on the edge of the bed on his good side. "Danny? It's Kono. You're in the hospital, but you're okay." She kept her voice soft, not wanting to startle her friend.

It took Danny a few more moments of restlessness before his eyes reluctantly opened. It was a slow process, but eventually his vision normalized, and he could see that he was in the hospital.

"…happened?" Danny's voice was rough, both from the lack of use, and from the endotracheal tube that had been placed in his windpipe for his surgery. He wearily wiped at his eyes before dragging his hand through his hair.

Kono slipped an ice chip onto a spoon, and gently pressed it against Danny's lips. After he had gratefully accepted the first one and let it dissolve, she gave him one more before putting the cup back on the tray table. "You had surgery to fix your shoulder. Do you remember what happened?"

Danny furrowed his brow and shook his head. "Some. Chased a kid and fell, I think." He shut his eyes and tried to connect the dots from earlier in the day. Another memory swirled around his brain before finally settling at the forefront. "A phone call? Something about Grace?"

Kono waited him out. It was only a matter of time before he put all of the pieces into the right order, and when he did? Well...Kono would have her work cut out for her. It didn't take Danny very long at all. She could tell by the look on his face that it had all come together, and that his reaction would be happening in 3. 2. And 1. With an anguished cry, he tried to wrestle himself into a sitting position, but Kono anticipated his move.

"Danny, don't, okay? You can't be moving around like that. Slow down, and I'll fill you in on what's going on." She leveled him with a fierce look, challenging him to defy her; while helping him settle back against the pillows.

"What the hell, Kono! Where the fuck is my daughter?" Danny was trying to calm his breathing, as the burning pain from his shoulder was making him nauseous. He probably shouldn't have tried to move like that, but _it was_ _Grace_.

"Easy, Danny." She reached for his hand, wanting to ground him somehow. "Steve and the Coast Guard are on their way to where they think she is. The GPS in her bracelet cut out, but they were only a few minutes from her location when it happened. You know that Steve won't give up, and he promised that he would call the minute he has any information. We know who the two guys were who took her – it's only a matter of time before we track them down, too."

Danny blinked furiously to clear his eyes. His daughter was still out there somewhere, alone and afraid, and he couldn't do a damn thing about it. "I just…I can't do this, Kono. I can't. I need to do something other than sit on my ass and stare at the walls!"

Kono leaned over and carefully hugged him, glad to see him at least attempt to hug her back with his uninjured arm. She held on tight for a few moments before sitting back up, keeping one hand on his chest. "I know, Danny. I do. But Grace is going to need you once Steve finds her. If you hurt yourself worse, you're not going to be able to be there for her."

Danny reached up and clutched the hand that was resting on his chest, sighing heavily. "How do I do this, Kono? I just…I don't know…If she…what if…" As his thoughts turned dark, he just couldn't be strong any longer. He didn't care that tears were streaming down his face, or that Kono had wrapped him up in a comforting embrace. His baby was going through hell, and it was all his fault. She might be hurt because of him and his job, or worse; and there was nothing that anyone could say or do that would make this better.

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An alarm startled Steve from his lookout, and he quickly turned towards the pilot. "Commander McGarrett? We're going to have to head back to base. It looks like we may have a fuel line problem and need to get this bird down on the ground as soon as we can. We have another helo on its way, and they can take over the rescue operation."

Steve shook his head. "No. Absolutely not. I am not going back and telling her father that I failed. Get me as close to her as you can afford to, and I'll deploy and swim to her. You can come back for both of us with the second helicopter."

The pilot and Steve were essentially in a stare down, as neither was willing to budge on their chosen course of action. However, given Steve's relationship to this case, and his extensive training as part of the SEALs, the Lieutenant finally acquiesced.

"Roger that. We'll put you in the water as close as we can. You've got your emergency kit, as well as a few extra bottles of water. It's all sealed in the waterproof pouch, so you should be good until the second chopper gets to you. Their ETA is less than 15 minutes."

Steve nodded, his mind already on his mission. There was no way to know whether there was someone on board the raft or not, but he wasn't taking any chances. His gun was sealed in the pouch, along with the rest of the items that needed to stay dry, including a sat phone.

Once he had gathered his supplies and making sure he had a full first aid kit, he moved from his seat and approached the cabin door. He secured the fins onto his feet, assumed a seated position in the doorway, and signaled his readiness to deploy into the water.

Before he jumped, he again saw the flash of white from the raft. It was approximately 150 yards away and to his left. Keeping a visual on the area, he jumped from the helicopter and splashed into the water. Kicking to the surface, he raised his right arm, quickly acknowledging that he was okay as the helicopter swiftly turned back for shore.

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Grace was really tired. She couldn't take a very deep breath any more - only little tiny ones - and her head hurt worse than anything she had ever felt. No matter what she did to try to get comfortable, nothing worked any more. She was hot. She was nauseous. She was dizzy. Her muscles were cramping up. She was so miserable and wanted to cry, but she just didn't have any tears left.

She wasn't really old enough to know about bargaining, but what she did know was that she wanted a hug from her Danno more than she wanted anything in this entire world. Whenever she was scared, he always picked her up and held her tight, wrapped securely in his arms. He was so solid and strong, and his cologne smelled like love. Simply put? He kept the dark away, and he kept her world safe.

Exhausted, she finally closed her eyes and let the darkness take her. Her last thought before she fell unconscious was that she was alone – that nobody had come to find her.

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Steve secured the pack against his back and started for where he thought the small boat was. He didn't like going at this without intel, but there wasn't a choice. It would have taken way too long to go back to base, pick up another helicopter and return to the search location, and then blindly try to find Grace without the use of her GPS signal.

As he swam, he allowed himself a brief moment of emotion as he thought about his best friend's daughter. She had quickly wormed her way into his heart, and he couldn't imagine himself not having her in his life. She was such a giving child, and she brought out a side of himself that Steve didn't know existed – she was easy to be around, and for the first time in a long while, Steve knew what unconditional love felt like.

No sooner had that sentimental thought bubbled its way to the surface, he tamped it back down again. He had a job to do, and couldn't afford to let anything cloud his mind - especially his emotions. He needed to keep his laser focus on the task at hand - returning Danny's daughter safely to him.

As he approached the boat, he saw that it was an inflatable rubber raft, similar to one that life guards might use. It wasn't very large – maybe ten feet in length, maximum. It looked sturdy enough, but there was no way to tell how secure it was until he got closer.

He silently approached the side of the raft, staying close to the surface of the water. He hadn't seen any movement, but he couldn't afford to take a chance that there was someone lying down below the inflated side. He didn't know how many men might be on board with Grace, so he took a brief few seconds clarifying a contingency plan in his head.

He placed a hand on one of the ropes lining the side and popped his head up. He immediately saw that the raft was empty, save for a steel steamer trunk. His heart dropped as he realized that if Grace's coordinates put her here, then she was most likely trapped inside the trunk.

Hauling himself on board, he quickly knelt down next to the trunk. "Grace? Gracie? Are you in there? It's Uncle Steve. Can you hear me?"

Swearing at the silence, he hurriedly got to work trying to get the trunk open. _Of course it was locked._ Taking out the utility tool from his pack, Steve sat on the floor of the raft and got to work trying to pick the lock.

He forced himself to work carefully, but quickly. He could feel the heat of the sun beating down on the steel trunk, and could only imagine what the temperature was like inside. In his haste, the steel tip slipped off of the lock and clattered to the floor of the raft. "Fuck! Come on, damn it! _Come on!_"

He wiped his face with his hands and blew out a couple of deep breaths, pushing his mind into a zone of concentration that he had had to rely on too many times in the past. He pushed to his knees and grabbed the tool again, fitting the thin steel blade into the lock mechanism.

This time, as he maneuvered the bit into the lock, he felt the tumbling mechanism give, and the lock finally released. He tried to lift the lid, but something was still catching from the inside. He flipped the tool to the screwdriver and stood so that he could reach the back of the trunk. Mentally counting down seconds he wasn't sure he had, he efficiently removed the hinges before moving his equipment to the side.

He blew out a breath, reached out a trembling hand, and removed the lid of the trunk. Peering down inside, all he could manage was a strangled, "No, no, no, no! Grace, NO!"

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	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews, alerts, and story follows. I won't lie when I say I'd love to hear from each person who reads my story, but if I'm being truly honest, I'm just happy that you ****are**** reading this little journey my muse decided to go on. I'm very humbled and thankful, you guys.**

**I still don't own anything related to Hawaii Five-0 or CBS, and no copyright infringment is intended.**

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Before the fear could kick in, Steve's training took over. He quickly, yet carefully, picked Grace up and lifted her out of the steel box. He kicked off his fins as soon as he put her down on the rubber bottom of the raft, and gently removed the cloth from around her mouth. Once that was done, he hastily checked for a pulse. Relieved to feel a faint heartbeat, he broke into a cold sweat though, as he realized that Grace wasn't breathing.

His training immediately kicked in, and he gently placed one hand on her forehead. He tried not to recoil at just how hot her skin was, and instead focused on the task at hand. He would tackle one problem at a time. With one hand on her head and one under her chin, he tilted her head back. Pinching her nose shut, he gave her a rescue breath, making sure that her chest was moving as it should. He kept up the pattern of breathing for another thirty seconds or so, before stopping to check her vital signs.

Her heartbeat was still there, although Steve would have liked to feel it stronger; but she still wasn't breathing on her own. Glancing at his watch, he saw that he still had almost five minutes before the second helicopter was due to arrive in the area, and there was no way he was going to let this turn into a body recovery mission.

"Come on, sweetheart. I need you to breathe, okay? That's all you have to do. Just breathe for me." Steve resumed the rescue attempt, and after twenty breaths or so, was rewarded with Grace's body finally figuring out what it was supposed to be doing.

"That's it, Gracie. You just keep that up, yeah? I've got you now. You're going to be fine. Just hang in there, and we'll get you back to Danno as soon as we can, okay?" His voice cracked, but Steve angrily stuffed the worry back down. He needed to be strong for Grace. Grace _needed _him.

With her breathing a little more stable, Steve focused on any other potential injuries. He quickly palpated her neck and back, relieved to not feel anything out of the ordinary. There wasn't any bruising or marking that he could see that would indicate trauma of that kind, and he was grateful for that, at least.

It was the other problems at hand, namely the heat that had him worried. He didn't have a thermometer in his first aid kit, but could tell that Grace was burning up. Worse than that, though, was that she wasn't sweating. Her skin was red, hot, and dry. He knew that she was, at the very least, bordering on heat stroke; and he needed to figure out a way to start getting her cooled down, fast.

He pulled her thin outer shirt off of her, leaving her clad in a camisole and her shorts. He took one of the bottles of water and completely doused the shirt he had taken off of her, and lightly covered her upper body with the wet cotton cloth.

The first aid kit had a chemical cold pack, so he quickly popped the inner pouch and shook it furiously, waiting for it to cool. Once it had been activated, he slid it carefully under Grace's neck, keeping her spine as still as possible. He wished he had a few more packs, but knew he'd have to settle for the one, for now. The rescue helicopter would have more supplies, and hopefully they could quickly get her more fully stabilized.

"Hey, Grace. You're doing great. Just keep breathing for me, okay?" Steve checked her vital signs again, relieved to note that while they weren't great, they certainly weren't worse. He would take it, for now.

He moved his body so that he could shade her from the sun pounding down on her. He cracked the seal on a second bottle of water, and using a few of the large gauze pads, started wetting her legs with the slightly chilled water. Grace's eyes flinched almost imperceptably at the temperature change, putting Steve back down by her ear.

"It's okay, Grace. I've got to get you cooled off. I know you don't feel that great, but we're going to get you out of here pretty soon. You're safe, now, sweetheart. You're safe." He grabbed one of the fins he had kicked off, and used it to start fanning the air around her.

It wasn't an orthodox method, but right now, their situation was the epitome of field medicine. His sole focus was on getting her cooled down, to the point where for a few moments, he was completely unaware that Grace had once again stopped breathing.

No sooner had he figured it out, though, he heard the 'thwap thwap' sounds of the helicopter's rotator blades in the distance. Hurriedly firing a rescue flare, he changed his focus back to Grace and trying to keep her alive. "Damn it, Grace. Don't do this, okay? Danno needs you. _I_ need you." He carefully sealed his mouth over hers once again, and started the same breathing pattern as before – one breath every three seconds.

This time, it only took about fifteen seconds before he felt her take a breath. Weakly, he sat back, sagging with relief. "That's it, babe. You've got it. Keep going, just like that." Satisfied that he had done all he could, Steve became her biggest cheerleader.

He stayed close to her head, murmuring soothing words, completely unaware of the commotion surrounding them. The helicopter had deployed a rescue swimmer, and Steve nearly took his head off when he approached – he was concentrating on keeping Grace breathing, to the point that he had never even heard the man come up to the raft.

"Commander? What have you got?" Steve whirled on the man, who had kept his distance until he knew that the scene was secure.

"Sorry…I just…" Steve knew that he ought to apologize for being at the end of his rope, but knew that none would be necessary.

The young man lifted himself onto the rubber raft, and knelt down to where Grace lay, unmoving.

Steve cleared his mind of the anxiety churning and focused on giving his report. "Grace is 10 years old. She was kidnapped, and we found her adrift at sea. She has been missing for at least 5 hours, and was trapped inside this trunk for an undetermined amount of time. When I finally got to her, she was unresponsive and wasn't breathing. Her skin was red and flushed, and her temperature was extremely elevated. Her pulse is rapid and weak, but with three rounds of rescue breaths, she's starting to respond."

The medic moved quickly to signal the helicopter. "Okay, Sir. We're going to hoist you up first, and then I'll bring Grace up with me using a litter. Is there any possibility of a spinal injury?"

Steve shook his head. "Not that I could tell, but I guess it could be possible. She was inside the trunk on her left side; hands and feet bound with zip ties, but had no visible marks that I could see."

The medic nodded. She probably would have been okay being brought up into the aircraft harnessed to him, but without knowing whether she had any neck or back issues, they would play it safe. "Has she responded to you at all? To voice commands or to pain?"

Steve was gathering up his pack, and looked over at the Ensign. "Not really. She barely flinched once when I started with the cold water on her legs, but other than that, no."

"Good, Sir. I'm going to grab the cable and bring it onboard. You'll go up first, and then I'll follow with the girl. Are you comfortable assisting en route should we need you?"

Steve swallowed hard. "Of course. She's my best friend's daughter – I'll do whatever it takes."

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Danny was miserable. Dr. Maclean had been in to talk to him, and had explained all that they had done to repair the damage. They had gone in and reset his shoulder, and reattached the labrum to the shoulder socket. Thankfully, he hadn't needed any vascular repair - the blood vessels were not damaged. While they were in there, they saw that the rotator cuff tendon was strained, but determined that it eventually should heal without issue, provided that he stayed with his physical therapy. He was fortunate in that they were able to go in arthroscopically, which meant that his recovery time should be less.

Over the course of the last hour or so, though, he had started to develop a fever, which alternated with random chills. Dr. Maclean wasn't too concerned, even going so far as to say that he was comfortable just watching it, unless it rose over 101 degrees. There was no evidence of any infection, and it wasn't uncommon to simply run a fever following surgery. The doc had told him that it was most likely his body's reaction to the surgery, which had been rather intensive.

Right now, he was sitting at 100.8, and felt like crap. He couldn't get comfortable with the sling and bandages on his shoulder, and lying on his back just made the sweat go right through the bed sheet and pool on the plastic mattress. He was still fairly dizzy from the anesthesia, and so they were reluctant to clear him to move around his room on his own. That sense of essentially being tethered to his bed just added to the feelings of fear and helplessness that were taking over his thoughts. He hadn't heard any word on Grace yet, and he was about to go out of his mind waiting.

Just then, Kono breezed through the doorway carrying two paper cups, with Chin following behind her. "Hey, Danny. I talked to Iokua – he said, and I quote: 'He can have some coffee – just tell him not to dive in with a straw' – it's like he knows you or something."

Danny tried to smile at the two cousins, but it just didn't reach his eyes. Kono immediately picked up on it and moved to sit next to him, while Chin stood at the foot of the bed. "Hang in there, Danny. I know this sucks. But Steve promised to let us know as soon as he heard anything, and you know he wouldn't go back on a promise where Grace was concerned."

The detective nodded, dejected. "I know. But…I feel so fucking useless stuck here, you guys. I mean, what kind of father can't even help try to find his missing daughter?"

Kono grabbed his hand and squeezed. This was not their Danny talking. "You're not alone in this, brah. We all want Grace back. Just don't forget about you in all of this. Let us take care of you for right now, okay? You don't have to be strong all of the time."

Danny swiped angrily at his cheek, frustrated that he was on the verge of tears, _again_. He knew that while he was scared to death for Grace, much of what he was feeling was related to the pain, the fever, and his reaction to the medications. Apparently, he gave new meaning to the phrase 'morose drunk'.

It didn't help, though, that he felt like he was about to come out of his skin unless he heard something soon. He let his head fall back against the pillows, and groaned at the shock wave that rolled through his upper body.

Chin watched as he closed his eyes and tried to breathe through the pain. Not giving Danny a choice, he simply walked to the head of the bed, reached around his friend, and pressed the call button.

Kono had shared with him her concerns that he'd been refusing all pain medication, and while they both understood his desire to remain clear-headed, she was worried that pushing himself too hard would only end up hurting him in the long run.

Iokua knocked on the door frame before poking his head into the room. "Danny, are you doing okay?"

Danny simply shook his head. That question could go so many different ways right about now.

The tall Hawaiian man nodded, and left to grab his pain meds and a new gown. The one he was wearing was grimy and soaked through from running a fever, and the nurse thought that a clean gown might help him feel a bit more like himself.

Danny stayed quiet while Iokua helped him clean up and change into a fresh gown before leaving him be. The medication had started to kick in a bit, and while physically, Danny was feeling less pain; emotionally, his heart was shredded and felt like it was being held together with string.

Kono didn't quite know what to do at that moment. She wasn't used to a quiet and contemplative Danny – he was always moving, always so full of life. So to have him lying so listless on the hospital bed really threw her. She looked to Chin, concerned. He just shrugged one shoulder. There was only one thing that would help Danny right now, and neither of them was in a position to deliver it to him.

She lightly rubbed his arm, for lack of anything else that she could think of doing for him. He barely acknowledged her or Chin – he just rested against the pillows, his eyes focused on nothing; his thoughts running rampant. Kono knew he was awake, though, when she heard his quiet quavering voice.

"It never really worried me, knowing that I was going to be a dad. Yeah, I had thoughts of doing something stupid, but I wasn't ever really panicked about it. God, who knew that having a daughter like Grace would be the easiest thing I was good at in my whole life? I always knew that from the minute I held her that Grace would be my daughter forever, and I loved that – hell, I embraced that."

He glanced briefly at Chin and Kono before letting his gaze turn towards the window. "Now, though, thanks to this asshole? The only thing about forever that scares me is that it won't be long enough."

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	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I'm so thankful for those of you who take a few seconds to review the story - I am blown away by how awesome you guys are! **

**Again - don't own anything related to Hawaii Five-0 or CBS. No copyright infringement intended.**

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Steve quickly unfastened the metal ring attaching him to the rescue harness and moved well inside the helicopter. The flight mechanic hooked the cable to the rescue basket, and moved it back outside the cabin door. He lowered the basket down to where Ensign Micah Bennett was packaging Grace for transport.

They had to make sure that the basket touched the water before it came near Grace, due to the static electricity that built up on the steel cable. The plan was that the basket would be placed as close to the raft as possible, and Ensign Bennett would swim Grace to the litter and load her in.

The helicopter would need to move away while he was getting Grace situated and strapped in – they didn't want the spray from the rotors to do any further damage. Once the swimmer gave the signal that the straps were connected and the cables were locked in place, the pilot would bring the craft back in place.

After dropping the cable into the water to discharge the shock, the pilot held the big bird steady as Ensign Bennett quickly attached not only the basket to the cable, but himself to the basket. They would both be brought up at the same time.

Steve motioned to the pilot. "Hey. We're going to need that raft brought back as evidence in her kidnapping. Can we get a cutter out here to pick it up?"

The pilot nodded, immediately radioing the request to headquarters. Once that was finished, he relayed that a boat was no more than 4 minutes out, and they would gather the evidence and arrange for it to be taken to the crime lab.

Steve's focus turned once again to Grace. She was alive, but if it was heat stroke, then she needed proper medical attention ten minutes ago. He lightly ran his fingers over the sat phone and debated calling Danny. He wanted his brother to know that he had found her, but her vital signs were all over the place. He just wanted to be able to give him something other than heart crushing news. Ultimately he decided to wait just a few more minutes, until he saw how Grace was once they had a chance to try to stabilize her.

The flight mechanic shifted, and Steve knew that the basket was approaching the cabin door. He shut his eyes briefly, and sent up a prayer that he wouldn't have to blow his partner's world apart with bad news.

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Danny had dozed off into a restless sleep. Neither Chin nor Kono needed small talk, so they both sat, lost in their thoughts.

Kono had agreed to stay with Danny until Steve got back. After her knee surgery, she knew all too well, the problems associated with long alone times in the hospital – too much time to think usually translated to a dark path that nobody wanted to see Danny go down.

Chin felt his phone vibrate on his hip, so he quietly pulled it from the clip and retrieved the text message. It was Kamekona. He motioned to Kono to meet him in the hallway.

"The big guy said that he may have a location for us. I'm going to meet him at the shrimp truck and see what he knows.

Kono nodded before reaching out to her cousin for a quick hug. "Be careful, Chin. These guys obviously have no moral anything – no telling what they will do if you corner them."

Chin merely raised an eyebrow and stared, cold. "No, Kono. They need to be careful. They messed with the wrong ohana by taking Grace. They will pay."

Kono shook her head as her cousin headed down the hallway. As she moved back into Danny's room, she noticed his eyes moving underneath his eyelids, and his breathing was coming in short gasps. She hurried back to his bed and leaned over him carefully. "Danny? It's okay. Can you wake up for me? You need to wake up."

It took a few minutes before he was able to open his glassy eyes. As he looked around the room and allowed his gaze to lock onto Kono's, his heart sunk. He had really hoped that when he opened his eyes, he would see that all of this had been a horrible nightmare, but it hadn't. Every minute of the last few hours had been the harsh and honest truth – every single, damned, fucking minute.

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Chin was grateful to Kamekona. One of his contacts had panned out, and they now knew where the Paikuli cousins were hiding out. They possibly could have taken their money and gotten away with what they had done, but for Ka'ula's stupidity.

He had gone to a dive bar in the industrial side of the city; where the more alcohol he poured in, the more his thoughts poured out. His lips got looser and looser as the night wore on, and before too long, his new 'best friends' seated next to him at the bar knew not only what he had done, but where he lived; thanks to his exuberant wish that they all came back to his place for more beer.

Chin had radioed for HPD and SWAT backup. They had all met about a block away, and finalized their plans. They would go in, subdue the two men, and take them to Five-0 and wait for questioning. All of that seemed very easy, on paper.

What they didn't expect to see, however, was Mako standing over the body of his cousin and holding an assault weapon to the large hole in his chest. "You couldn't shut your damn mouth, could you _hupo_! I can't believe you! I always have to clean up your mess, don't I? Well, no more. I'm done with you."

Chin chose that moment to kick the door open and yell, "Five-0. Freeze!"

Mako didn't take kindly to that order, so he whirled on the approaching officers and fired. Fortunately, before he could do any damage, Chin got off a shot that blew the rifle out of Mako's hand and spun the criminal backwards, while a SWAT shot dropped him to the ground.

Chin jogged over and carefully kicked the weapon out of the way. He knelt down and checked for a pulse, swearing loudly when he couldn't find one. Their only remaining link to find out why Randall Murdock had wanted to take Grace was dead.

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Steve reached for the edge of the basket and helped pull it into the helicopter cabin, while Ensign Beckett unhooked himself from his harness and moved to assess his patient. Steve grabbed a blanket and wiped some of the dripping salt water from Grace's skin and hair so that they would have a dry area to work.

A quick temporal scan showed that Grace's temperature was registering at a very high 104.6 degrees. Steve shuddered to think about what it might have been before he had done what little he could to cool her off.

The medic hooked her up to their cardiac monitor, and quickly readied supplies to start an IV, glancing at Steve with a wary eye. "Commander? I'm going to try to get a couple of IV's going – she critically needs fluids now. However, if I can't get her veins to cooperate, I may have to place an intraosseous device. Do you know what that is?"

Steve swallowed hard and nodded. He had seen them used while he was on active SEAL duty. They were used in emergency medicine when an IV line could not be established. He knew that Grace needed IV therapy in the worst way, but the idea of using a type of pneumatic gun to get a large-bore needle into her tibia made him want to throw up.

Ensign Beckett shook his head sympathetically while placing her on a supplemental oxygen mask. "I promise, Sir. I will do my best to not have to use that method, but I might not have a choice. She's really low on fluids right now, and I may not be able to gain access."

Steve took a deep breath. "I know. Just do what you have to do." One glance at the monitor showed them both that Grace was not doing very well. Her blood pressure and respiration rate were low, and her heart rate was elevated – both signs of dehydration and shock – and both signs of severe heat illness.

The medic grabbed a few cold packs from his kit and tossed them towards Steve. "Can you place these for me? Chest, armpits, and neck? Her temp is still too high for my comfort level. You can also wet these sterile gauze pads and use them on her arms and legs. If we can get some evaporation going, the heat loss may help start to cool her off." While he was giving Steve instructions, he was making every effort to get Grace hooked up to IV fluids, but unfortunately, her body was just not in a place to cooperate very well. Her veins had collapsed, and he didn't want to waste more time poking and prodding her.

"Commander? I'm going to have to go IO. There's no other way, and she can't afford to waste time here. I'm going to have you move up towards her head. Have you ever used an ambu-bag? I do not really like her breathing too much right now, and we may have to intervene."

Steve nodded and forced himself to detach from the emotions threatening to overwhelm him. After a few seconds, he felt his mind calm and knew that he was in 'that place' that he had to go sometimes in order to survive. He hated the idea of having to access his training when it was Grace involved, but he was afraid that if he couldn't compartmentalize, he wouldn't be able to help her. And that just was not an option.

He knelt with one knee on either side of her head, and looked at the monitor again, alarmed to see that her breathing rate had dropped even further. "Damn it! Gracie, come on, babe!" He swore as he pulled the regular oxygen mask off, before grabbing the bag valve mask and placing it over her nose and mouth. Making sure he had a good seal, he positioned her head so that her airway was open and gave one squeeze.

Her chest had good movement, so he continued the pattern – one breath of pure, clean oxygen every five seconds. Under his breath, he murmured quiet words every time he squeezed the bag – words that begged and pleaded with her to just make it – to not die on him, damn it. He would willingly fill her swear jar if she would just open up her eyes and scold him for using bad words at her – really he would.

As he was maintaining her airway, Ensign Beckett had swabbed the area of bone just below her knee and to the inside of her shin. "She's 10, right?"

Steve nodded, never taking his eyes off of his honorary niece. He _really_ needed her to start breathing on her own. Really, he did.

The medic dialed the infusion device to reflect her age, which calculated the depth of the needle. There was no way the needle could go in too far, and the gun provided an easier way of getting the needle into the bone marrow.

"Once I get the needle secured, can you hand me the bag of fluid? We need to get her blood pressure up a little more than it is, and let those fluids start to rehydrate. That should go a long way to helping her body start to behave a little better. Once she gets some fluids on board, they should be able to get a regular IV going, and this can be removed. She may never know it was even there."

_But I will_, Steve thought to himself. He would never be able to forget this. He removed the mask from her face and watched the monitor to see whether she had started breathing spontaneously, and blew out a heavy sigh as he saw that her respirations had increased once again.

He saw that the Ensign was getting ready to place the device, so he set the mask to the side and knelt down low, by Grace's head. "It's okay, Grace. This might hurt, but only for a little while. You're being so very brave. Did you know that? You are doing so great. When you're feeling better, I'm going to take you for the biggest shave ice you've ever had – maybe Kamekona can make you one as big as your head."

He cringed as he heard the tell-tale 'pop' that signaled the correct placement of the needle within the bone marrow, and reached to catch Grace's arm as it flailed weakly. She let out a quiet moan, signaling that while she may be unconscious, she was, in fact, feeling some pain.

He placed a soft kiss to her forehead before whispering to her. "Hang in there, sweetheart. We'll be at the hospital in a little bit, and they'll take good care of you. You're going to be fine, Gracie – you're going to be just fine."

Just then, the alarms screamed a terrifying warning. Looking up to see where the problem was, Steve pounded a fist on the floor of the helicopter. "Shit, Grace. You can't do this, you hear me? You need to fight, damn it!" Her heart rate was dropping, and Steve felt his own heart sink as Ensign Beckett readied the defibrillator for use.

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	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'm behind on my revew replies, but will do my best to get caught up later today. Please know that I do thank each and every one of you for your kind words. I have done a lot of research for this story, but also have a background as a former Pediatric Respiratory Therapist at a Level 1 Trauma Hospital, so much of what I've done to Grace in this story is based on things I saw while working in the ER and in the PICU.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything related to Hawaii Five-0, and no copyright infringement is intended.**

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Steve sat back on his heels, knowing that he may have to move out of the way. The alarm continued to blare for a few seconds while Ensign Beckett checked Grace's vital signs. Then suddenly, they were left with only the thumping of the helicopter blades for noise. Almost as soon as they had gone off, the alarms stopped again.

Glancing cautiously at the medic, he was relieved to see that Bennett's movements had slowed; all the while keeping a close eye on the numbers on the screen. "It's okay, Commander. Her heart rate took a little dive, which isn't abnormal given how dehydrated she was, but now that the fluids are starting to get into her system and help balance her electrolyte levels, her vital signs are responding a little bit better. Things are looking much more normal than they were."

Steve bent over Grace's prone form and said a short prayer of thanks before sitting back up. His eyes were wet, and as he wiped them furiously, he said, "Steve."

The young man looked confused until Steve clarified his intent. "You can call me Steve. After everything we've gone through together in the last fifteen minutes or so, I'd say that the time for formality has passed, wouldn't you?"

There was a brief moment of silence before the Ensign responded. "Fair enough. But if we're doing the name game, then it's Micah for me, okay?" Micah knew that he needed to get his honorary partner calmed down and focused on something other than Grace's attempts at shortening his life, so he changed tactics. "We should be at Queen's in about ten minutes – they have a great PICU unit and will take great care of Grace. Do you want to give anyone a head's up?"

Steve nodded and scrubbed a hand over his face. _Danny_. He needed to let him know what was going on, and he had no idea how or what he would tell him. "Is she…? Is it okay if I…?" Steve didn't know how to ask what he wanted to know.

Micah smiled somewhat affectionately. "Yeah, Steve. I think she's on the upswing. Don't get me wrong – she's still critically ill, but getting some fluids into her and getting her temperature down have helped. I think maybe she'll cooperate and stay stable long enough to fire up the sat phone."

Steve nodded while biting his lower lip. _God, he really didn't want to make this call. He wanted to be able to have Grace talk to Danny herself. But he guessed it beat having to make an entirely different kind of call._ Taking the sat phone from his pack, he quickly punched in the number with one hand, while lightly stroking Grace's hair with the other.

It took a few moments for the connection to be made, so Steve used the brief reprieve to school his emotions. He needed to be strong for his partner.

"Steve? What's going on?" Kono had grabbed Danny's vibrating phone, but was trying to keep her voice down. Her whisper was frantic, though. They hadn't heard anything for so long, that she was well past the point of panicking.

She heard a pained sigh from the other end of the connection. "I've got her, Kono. I've got Grace."

Kono didn't squeal like she wanted to. For one, Danny was actually in somewhat of a good sleep, for as long as it lasted anyway. Secondly, she heard the unspoken fear in Steve's voice. She quietly moved into the hallway. "Steve?"

Steve sounded exhausted. "We're on our way to Queen's. They'll treat her in the ER, and most likely move her to the Peds ICU after she's stable. It was…it's just…it's bad, Kono. I mean, she's alive, but she's pretty sick still."

Kono's eyes filled with tears. If she didn't survive, it would _kill_ Danny. Hell, from what she could tell from Steve's voice, it would kill him as well. "What can I do?"

Steve swallowed hard. His compartments felt like they had holes in them, and his control was slowly leaking out. "How's Danny? How's he holding up?"

Kono noticed Steve's deflection, and knew that he probably didn't even know what he needed done. She looked through the doorway at her dozing coworker and tried to figure out the best way to answer. "He's doing okay. The surgery went well, but he picked up a fever. The doc wasn't concerned about it – he said that sometimes they just happen. There's no infection, thank goodness, and it's pretty much back to normal now. The doc thinks he might be able to get out of here tomorrow sometime. He's been refusing his pain meds, though – I think he wanted to stay sharp in case…"

She didn't need to finish that sentence. Steve knew what she was going to say. "We finally got him to take something, and he's been resting for a while. But Steve…he's so lost right now. Do you think…I mean…will she be okay?"

Steve glanced down and used his thumb to smooth a frown line from Grace's forehead, hoping she wasn't in too much pain. "I hope so, Kono. She's got fluids on board, and we're working to get her temperature down. The medic thinks she might have heat stroke. She's had a rough go since we found her, but she's showing some slight improvement. Now I know this will be hard, but I need you to keep Danny from rushing to the ER. He's going to want to be with her, and I can't blame him. But he shouldn't have to see them treating her – he doesn't need to watch it all happen."

_Like you've had to for the past few hours, Boss?_ Kono's heart broke for what Steve obviously has had to go through. He loved Grace, and there was no way that he could just stuff all of the fear and the emotions completely away. No matter how much he insisted he was okay, Kono and the rest of the team knew differently.

"Steve, Dr. Maclean is headed down the hall. Do you want to talk to Danny while I update the doc on what's going on with Grace? He might be able to keep Danny put for a little while."

Steve sighed. "Yeah. This is going to be so hard on him."

Kono nodded. "I know, but Steve, you got her back. You saved her. Hang on a second and I'll give the phone to Danny, okay?"

Steve agreed, knowing that he only had a few minutes before they would be approaching the hospital. He heard muffled talking in the background before his partner's sleep-filled voice rumbled low in his ear.

"Steve? Where are you? How's Grace?" Danny was trying to tamp down on the anxiety as he gripped the phone in his right hand. "Steve?"

Steve let out a breath. "I've got her, Danny. She's alive."

Danny broke down. He couldn't help it. He had spent the last few hours imagining the worst possible outcome for his daughter, and to hear that she was alive? It was almost more than he could take.

"Danny, come on. I need you to try to slow down, okay? Slow your breathing down for me, or you're going to pass out." Steve couldn't blame Danny for the reaction. He couldn't even begin to imagine just how rough this had been on his friend, between the injury, the surgery, and then having his daughter taken from him?

It took a little while before Danny was calmed down enough to talk again, and when he did, his voice was rough. "Is she okay? Where are you guys?"

Steve pinched the bridge of his nose. This was not going to be easy. "Danny, we're on our way to Queen's. The Coast Guard is flying her in soon – we should land in the next five minutes or so. She's really sick, Danny – but she's hanging on and fighting like crazy."

While he was talking to Danny, both Kono and Chin, as well as Dr. Maclean had gone back into Danny's room. Kono had filled Chin in, and knowing that Danny was going to need to stay put for a little bit longer, was grateful for the reinforcements.

Chin was calmly persuasive, and would do what needed to be done to keep Danny put. So as soon as he saw Danny struggling to move the sheets and swing his legs around to climb out of bed, he moved to his side and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Steve continued on with the conversation. "Danny? I need you to stay put, okay? I know you're going to want to be down here, and I get that…I really do. But please? Just stay where you are for a little while longer."

Danny was livid. "Are you out of your mind, Steve? I'm not going to just sit here and wait. It's Grace…it's _my_ daughter, damn it. I can't just stay put and do nothing. It's Grace, Steve. It's my monkey. She's all I have…she's…I can't…" And with that, Danny's shell cracked.

He dropped the phone to the bed, and weakly hung his head, sobbing softly. Kono gathered him into as tight of a hug as she could manage without doing further damage, while Chin picked up the phone. "Steve? Are you there?"

"God, Chin. Is he okay?" Steve hated hearing that with everything he had in him, and cursed Randall Murdock for putting his best friend through this hell. When he got his hands on him, there would be retribution like none other.

"He'll be okay. The doc is with him now. Just tell me what you need." Chin kept a wary eye on Danny, while trying to be strong for the man on the phone.

"I'll stay with Grace while she's in the ER. Maybe one of you could come down there? Be a runner if there's any information for Danny? Once she's stable, and settled into the PICU, we'll figure out what to do next."

Chin could tell that Steve was exhausted, but also knew that he would find a way do what needed to be done, for as long as it needed to be done. "Sounds good, man. Just be safe, okay? Bring Grace home – we'll be waiting."

Meanwhile, Danny had calmed somewhat. Dr. Maclean was brutally honest with him, which Danny appreciated. "Look, Danny. I completely understand why you want to be there. But I'm going to be the bad guy and tell you no, at least for the time being. First, you're still not fully healed to where I'm satisfied in releasing you. Your fever is gone, but can you honestly tell me that you are able to go down there and stand around while they triage and treat your daughter?"

Danny geared up to answer him, but the doctor wasn't finished yet. "Second, you haven't shown me that you're too willing to eat or drink – if I release you, you won't have the IV any longer, and you're going to have to consume enough to be strong enough to take care of Grace. She's going to need you strong, Danny. And third? You may not want to hear this, but no father should have to see emergency medicine done on their child. It's just too much…Trust me."

Danny looked quizzically at the surgeon, who met his gaze without flinching. "My son was four, and we were involved in a car accident. We were T-Boned on the side where his car seat was. I rode in the ambulance with him, and refused to leave the ER while they were treating him."

He looked down for a few moments, before looking up at Danny once again. "He didn't make it."

Kono had her hand over her mouth, trying to fight back tears; while Danny just stared at the older man.

"Now Danny, I'm not saying that the outcomes are going to be the same at all. But seeing something like that stays with you. You don't need to put yourself through that. I promise you, that as soon as she's officially admitted to Queen's, I'll discharge you and you can stay in her room with her. You won't officially be my patient any longer, but I'll still check in on you, and will make sure that the nursing staff is aware of your recent surgery as well."

He settled back against the sheets, and sighed; frustrated, but reluctantly compliant. Danny knew that had no choice but to agree, but it didn't mean that he was happy about it.

Overhead, he heard the trauma team being called to the emergency room, and his heart sank. He knew that it most likely was Grace coming in on the helicopter, and he could only pray that he would have a chance to hug and hold his daughter again.

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	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: This chapter kind of took off on me. I hope nobody minds. I also wanted to let you know that updates may not happen daily, now that I start teaching again on Monday. (Although I'm really in to writing this, so who knows, LOL). Thank you again for all of the reviews, follows, and alerts. I really appreciate them.**

**Same disclaimer applies. I don't own anything remotely related to Hawaii Five-0. No copyright infringement intended.**

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The doors to the emergency department were kicked open, followed by a doctor and two nurses pushing a gurney into the Trauma room. They were followed by Steve and Micah. One was there to give report on what had transpired in the helicopter. The other was there to stand guard over his niece. They could ask him to leave, but they would be either completely ignored or politely refused.

"What have we got?" The team was moving to get Grace onto the exam gurney, where they were pleased to see her starting to move a little more. She wasn't awake, but was responding more to stimuli.

"10-year-old female. Grace Williams. Her father is currently a patient upstairs. Commander Steve McGarrett holds medical power of attorney, in the event that her father is not present. Grace was kidnapped at approximately 1200 hours. From what the authorities have determined, she was placed inside of a steel trunk and set adrift at sea – approximately a mile offshore. Commander McGarrett found her at approximately 1700 hours. When he got her out of the trunk, she was hyperthermic , and was showing signs of heat stroke."

The team had cut Grace's clothes off of her and had covered her with a gown. Steve had turned away as they placed a catheter in, but resumed his guard once she was covered back up.

"Initially, she wasn't breathing, but she resumed a slow respiratory rate following three rounds of rescue breathing. Coast Guard arrived on scene, and secured her into the helicopter. Her temperature at that time was 104.6. Once onboard, attempts were made to start IV fluid replacement. They were unsuccessful, and an interosseous device was placed. She did require a brief period of ambu-bag resuscitation – no more than fifteen seconds, due to a decreased respiratory rate of 6 per minute. She also presented with erratic vital signs, which started to stabilize upon delivery of IV fluids and continued attempts to lower her temperature."

One of the nurses checked her temperature and reported that it was 103.2, which was down from when Micah had checked it.

"Her initial heart rate was 131, and her blood pressure was 98 over 60. After fluids were on board, her heart rate stabilized to 110, while her blood pressure came up to 121 over 80. She's starting to show more signs of awareness, although she has not woken up on her own. She did respond to the pain of the IO insertion, but calmed with Commander McGarrett talking to her."

The ER doctor – Dr. Kuwada – finished physically examining Grace and moved up towards her head. "Grace? I'm Dr. Kuwada. Can you open your eyes for me?" She got no response, so she moved to pick up Grace's hands. "Can you squeeze my fingers, Grace? Come on, sweetheart. Squeeze my fingers."

Still no response. She turned to where Steve was standing like a sentinel. "Commander? Can we borrow you?"

Steve looked unsure, but carefully made his way through the chaos surrounding Grace. "Ma'am?"

The older doctor grinned, her twinkling eyes rolling. "Oh, please. Don't ma'am me. That reminds me of my mom, and she drives me bat poop nuts. So Abby, or Dr. K, or Doc is just fine with me." She could tell that Steve was beyond stretched to the limit, so she wanted to do two things – get him to take a breath and try to get him to stand down.

"Ensign Beckett said that she seemed to respond somewhat to you. It makes sense if you are familiar to her. Would you be willing to give it a go? I'd like to see her at least open her eyes before I send her upstairs to the PICU. And just for the record, I wasn't thrilled with her vital signs that were radioed ahead of her, but now that she's here and I've seen her in person, I'm much more comfortable with how she looks. We still have a ways to go, but I'm feeling pretty optimistic that she'll recover from this. And in case you were wondering? I'm very rarely wrong."

Steve nodded and let out a breath. He had been terrified that the news would be worse. "I can try."

Dr. Kuwada squeezed his arm before moving away from the gurney. She wanted to try to make things less overwhelming for Grace, now that she was out of immediate danger. Her team knew what she was doing, and dropped their volume considerably. The ER was a scary place to begin with, but to a child who had been unconscious for a few hours, the excess stimulation could be overwhelming, at best.

Steve leaned carefully over the stretcher and gently placed one hand on the top of her head. "Gracie? It's Uncle Steve. You're safe now, sweetheart. You're in the hospital, and the doctor wants to see you wake up. So do I, baby. Please, Grace…can you open your eyes for me? Please?"

It took a good thirty seconds of Steve pleading with Grace before finally, thankfully, she was able to open her eyes. She didn't respond, but was able to make definite eye contact with Steve before slipping back under. That ten seconds was enough for Steve, for now – and it was enough for Chin to notice him through the window, standing stock still with tears streaming down his face.

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Danny was forcing himself to sip at some broth. He wasn't on a clear liquid diet, but after the stress of the last hour or so, in particular, the thought of food was making him extremely nauseous. But he knew he had to try – for Grace. So he asked for the blandest thing he could think of – anything to prove to the doctor that he was holding up his end.

"Chin just texted me. He'll be back up in a few minutes. Do you want to try to get cleaned up while you wait?" Kono was trying to give Danny some space, but still let him know that she was there for him.

Danny shrugged one shoulder. "I guess." He knew that he needed to start doing a better job of taking care of himself, but right now, his anxiety over what was happening with Grace was very similar to waiting for the best vacation to start, the night before his birthday, and Christmas Eve in the eyes of a child all rolled into one.

Kono just moved to the side of the bed, ready to steady Danny if he needed it. He was much more secure than he was earlier, but she couldn't help but go into 'mother hen' mode, after everything that had gone down. She followed alongside as he moved into the bathroom, and made sure he had the string attached to the call button within reach. "Just yell if you need anything, okay?"

Danny nodded and squeezed her arm in thanks, before heading into the small room and shutting the door.

While he was brushing his teeth and splashing some water on his face, Kono hurriedly stripped the sheets off of the bed and swapped them out for clean ones. Hopefully Danny wouldn't need to use them for much longer, but it might feel better to have fresh sheets underneath him.

By the time she was done, Chin had slowly made his way into the room. Kono looked on with alarm as he sunk into the recliner chair. "Chin? What's wrong? Is it Grace?"

Chin just shook his head. "No…she's doing okay, I guess." He looked around the room and saw the closed bathroom door. He tipped his head and looked at his cousin.

"Yeah, he should be out in a minute. How's Steve holding up?" She knew that Chin would wait to tell Danny about Grace, but figured he wouldn't mind filling her in on just how wrecked her boss really was.

"Steve is…When I got to the ER, I just saw him standing there in the Trauma room – he looked like he had lost his best friend. He looked…shell-shocked, I guess? He saw me and came outside. Grace is holding her own, but I'm really worried about Steve. He's trying to be so strong for everyone else…I just…I don't know, Kono."

Just then, the door opened and Danny slowly made his way back to his bed. He tried not to overreact to seeing Chin, but he knew that his face was a dead giveaway, as were his increasingly shallow breaths. "Chin?"

"She's hanging tough, Danny. So you just sit there and breathe, and I'll fill you in on what Steve told me, okay?" Chin knew that to start with anything other than information on Grace would be cruel, so he just dove right in. "She has heat stroke. Her temperature was really high when Steve found her, but he did some field medicine, and then the Coast Guard helo showed up – they worked to get her temperature down. I won't lie, though, Danny. She had some issues with her breathing – they had to assist with that a few times. The ER doc said that it's all a reaction to being dehydrated and having a high body temperature, but she shouldn't have any lasting problems because of it."

Chin could see that Danny was struggling, so he sat next to him and placed a comforting hand on his arm. "She's improving, though, Danny. She's not out of the woods yet, but they're calling her condition 'critical, but stable'. Her temperature is coming down, and they were able to get some fluids into her. She even opened her eyes when Steve was talking to her, although she wasn't really awake. The doc said that it was a good sign that she opened her eyes, but that they really would like to see or hear her respond to know for sure that she is on the mend."

Kono surreptitiously handed Danny a tissue so that he could wipe his eyes. He just nodded his thanks, unable to make much sense of anything right now.

Chin continued. "Steve said that they would be moving her to the PICU within the hour. I'm going to go and see if Dr. Maclean is around, and let him know. I know he said you could move there with her, but I think they'll need a few minutes to get her situated."

With that, Chin headed to the nursing station to speak with the doc, and Danny was left with his thoughts.

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Steve was struggling. He was physically and emotionally starting to feel the effects of everything that had gone on. He was furious because it felt like his training was failing him. He could see his hands shaking, and knew that he probably should sit down, but he couldn't make himself move.

Fortunately, Dr. Kuwada had been paying attention, and managed to get a chair behind him and pull him so that he was sitting down. Not liking the pale tint to his face or the dilated pupils in his eyes, she knelt down in front of him, grabbing his wrist to check his pulse point.

"Commander? Are you with me here?" She didn't get much of a response, other than an increase in trembling, so she called to one of her nurses for some supplies. She pushed his head so that it was down by his knees and placed a calming hand along his back.

"It's okay, Steve. I'm sure you are very familiar with the concept of an adrenaline dump. You concentrate on slowing your breathing and your heart rate down, and let us take care of you, okay?"

Steve weakly tried to fight her grip, but she was deceptively strong for such a tiny woman.

Abby Kuwada had seen this happen before, and was relatively impressed that it had taken so long for the Navy SEAL's body to finally let go. "Do us all a favor, Steve. Just park your cute butt in the chair and let us do our thing, all right? We'll get you feeling better in no time." She spoke softly while slipping a pulse oximeter onto his finger.

He tried to lift up his head to glare, but gave up after it became too much of a challenge to focus on the tiny woman who never seemed to stop moving. Vaguely, he felt something cold swipe across the back of his hand, followed by a slight pinch. He sat up, fully intending to remove whatever they had done, but he was stopped by a strong grip on his shoulder.

He turned to see Micah standing there. "Steve, just relax for a few minutes, okay? Let them run an IV while they finish getting Grace stabilized. Then, when she's ready to move to the PICU, you might have enough reserves built back up to actually go with her on foot, instead of in a wheelchair."

Steve nodded, knowing that he was not going to win any arguments right now.

Dr. Kuwada had pulled up her stool and was sitting in front of Steve. "Okay. Be honest with me. How are you feeling right now?"

Steve took one look at her serious face and knew that he wouldn't disrespect her by lying. "Headache. Nauseous. Like I just went through Hell Week again."

She affectionately rubbed his arm. "All normal, as you probably already knew. So here's the deal. You're going to sit here by Grace and let the IV run its course. That way, you can keep watch over her, while we're keeping an eye on you. She'll be ready to move to the PICU probably in the next fifteen minutes, so we'll unhook you at that point and you can go up with her. Any questions?"

Steve hung his head, frustrated with what felt like betrayal by his mind and body. "No."

Abby just flung an arm around Steve's broad shoulder. "It's okay, Steve. This was a situation that nobody should have to go through. You did a remarkable job in getting Grace to safety – now your mind and your body are telling you that they need a little time to process everything that went on. Micah said that her dad was a patient here? What happened?"

Steve appreciated her attempts at distracting him, so he shared the story of Danny's injury and surgery. He also let her know of Dr. Maclean's plan to release Danny once Grace was in the PICU, and she fully agreed with that arrangement.

"Let me make a few calls. All of our PICU suites are private suites, but I'm going to make sure that Danny has a cot in there as well. Being together is the best medicine for the both of them. We'll also make sure that there is a recliner chair for you as well, since I don't see you leaving them any time soon."

Steve opened his mouth to protest, but knew that it would be pointless. Dr. Kuwada was right. There was no way in hell that he was going to let either of them out of his sight for the foreseeable future. Steve had no idea what was going on with the case, and until he was up to speed, he wasn't going to take any chances with Grace's safety.

For the next fifteen minutes, Steve sat holding Grace's hand. Her fingers would flinch periodically, so he just gently squeezed them in response. After the few hours that she had spent completely isolated from everyone who loved her, he never wanted her to feel like she was alone ever again.

He could see that they were finishing things up in the Trauma room, and Abby verified this as she made her way to where Steve was sitting. "Okay, Steve. We're getting ready to head up to the PICU. She's going to be on Two West, Room 17. We're going to unhook your fluids as well – don't be a tough guy, okay? Let us know if you get dizzy or anything like that on the way – we don't need you sprawled in the middle of the Peds floor."

Steve rolled his eyes. "I'm good. Don't worry about me."

Abby just chuckled as she swiftly removed the IV and slapped a bandage on it. "I thought this fit your style, Commander."

Steve shot her a mock glare as he eyed the camouflage bandage now taped across the back of his hand. "Seriously?"

Abby just smiled. "Hey. I work in Pediatrics. Beggars can't be choosers, now can they?"

Before Steve could reply, everything attached to Grace was packed up and ready to go. He carefully stood up and, keeping one hand on the gurney, started the trek to the PICU.

Abby must have called ahead, because nobody blinked at the fact that Steve stayed parked in the corner of the room as they got Grace situated on the bed. The PICU nursing staff quickly got her hooked up to the monitor, and grabbed a set of vital signs on her. He was relieved to see that her temperature had come down a little further in the last thirty minutes.

As soon as she was settled into the PICU bed, however, Grace started to struggle weakly. Nobody could see that in her fevered mind, she was trapped and being held by the Paikuli's. She knew that in order to survive, she would have to fight back, and so fight back, she did. She was not able to recognize just where she was, and had no idea that she was safe and being taken care of.

Steve hurried to her side. "Grace? It's Uncle Steve. I need you to calm down for me, okay? You're okay – you're in the hospital, sweetheart." He quickly spared a glance at Abby, who was poised to step in if she was needed.

"Danny's on the ortho floor, in room 27. Can you call and get him down here now? The only one who's going to get through to her right now is her father."

Abby nodded, and grabbed the phone to make the call. Within a minute, she was back next to Steve. "He's on his way. Someone named Chin is bringing him down in a wheelchair, while his other coworker is packing up his things. Dr. Maclean said that he would officially come down here and discharge him, rather than making him wait in his room."

Steve was glad that so many people were looking out for Danny and for Grace. Whenever he struggled with the reasons behind the 'why' he had come back to Hawaii, he only had to look to his Ohana to understand just 'why' he stayed.

"Hear that, Grace? Danno's on his way. He'll be here in just a few minutes." He lightly held onto her hands, which were weakly trying to pull at some of the lines attached to her. "It's okay, Grace. You're okay. Danno will be here soon, all right? You're safe now."

Grace calmed marginally as the timbre of Steve's voice melted into her subconscious. She knew that she recognized that voice, although she couldn't place just where it was coming from.

A commotion outside of her door had heads turning and Steve moving to the side. He gave Chin room to maneuver the wheelchair to the bed, before helping his best friend stand up. "Grace? Monkey? It's Danno. I'm here, baby. I'm here. You're okay, babe. You're safe now." Alarmed when she didn't immediately respond, he looked to Steve.

"Just keep talking to her, Danny. She knows you're here."

Danny kept up the quiet pleading until finally, he saw her eyelids start to flicker. A few more seconds passed before her eyes were fully opened – the longest few seconds of Danny's life thus far.

Grace blearily opened her eyes and tried to look around the room, but she was just too tired. She did find the one person who she knew could make everything right again – her brown eyes locked onto blue and she knew – her Danno was right there.

"Danno?" Grace's whisper was soft, but to Danny, it was the most beautiful sound in the world.

"I'm here, monkey. You're in the hospital baby, but you're going to be fine."

She simply nodded before drifting back to sleep.

As the nurses continued to get her settled, Danny scrubbed his hands over his face and took a cautious step backwards. As soon as the back of his knees hit the seat of the wheelchair, he sat down, dropped his head onto the edge of Grace's bed, and cried.

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	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Thank you all again for the alerts, follows, and especially the reviews. I hope to have the next chapter up no later than Tuesday, provided my students cooperate. They're 7th graders, so who knows, LOL. **

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Steve knelt down and awkwardly gathered Danny into a sideways hug. There wasn't a lot of room to maneuver thanks to the wheelchair, but neither man cared. Contact was what they both needed. "She's right here, D. She's okay. Just focus on that, okay?" Steve's voice was choked, but he didn't care. His brother needed him, and he wasn't about to let him down.

After a few moments, Dr. Kuwada knelt down on the other side of Danny and lightly touched his arm. "Danny? I'm Dr. Kuwada. I treated Grace in the ER and can fill you in if you'd like."

Danny sat up slowly, wincing as his shoulder pulled and strained from the position it had been in. He blew out a shaky breath, trying to rein his emotions back in. "Yeah…that'd be good."

Steve stepped back and the doctor stood, making sure that Danny could keep his eyes on Grace at all times. "I'm not sure how much you've been informed, so I'll just give you the highlights. If you have any questions along the way, just ask. Sound good?"

Danny nodded and reached for Grace's hand.

"First of all, I believe that Grace will recover fully from this. It's important that you believe that as well. She came into the ER very dehydrated and with a very high temperature, consistent with heat stroke. We were able to get her temperature down some, but while in the PICU, she'll receive more aggressive care. Now don't panic – that just means using either ice packs strategically placed or chilled IV solutions to help bring things down. We'd like to see her temperature below 101 before we can safely say that she's out of the woods. We'll keep giving her IV fluids and monitoring her output. Right now, as you can see, her urine is very dark and very limited in volume. That needs to change, or she's at risk of potential kidney damage. I don't think that is the case, but her body will tell us soon enough. As soon as she's more awake, they'll start to switch her to primarily oral liquids, and eventually get rid of the IV's entirely. As you can see, she's got a scrape on her forehead, but there is no bruising or anything like that - nothing whatsoever to indicate a head injury of any kind. It's just a scrape, nothing more."

Danny used his shoulders to wipe at his eyes – unwilling to let go of Grace for even a minute. "What about…she's unconscious…is that normal?"

The older Japanese woman smiled kindly at Danny. "Perfectly normal. Think about it. She's been through quite the ordeal. Her body could either exert itself keeping her awake, or work to heal her. Right now, it's doing the right thing by letting her rest, and getting her back in working order. I fully expect her to sleep for the next twelve hours or so, minimum. Oh, she may wake up from time to time. But she's pretty wiped out. She needs the rest, Danny. But rest assured, I think she will be just fine. It'll take time, and her family's love and support, but she's young and strong and in good health."

Danny was loathe to ask his next question, but he had to find out. He _had_ to know. "Doc? Is she…I mean…does she…_Shit._ Oh, damn it. Sorry about that."

Doc just waited him out. There was nothing that a terrified father could say that would even come close to offending her.

He looked at her with wet eyes. "Is she in pain? Because…I really don't want her to be in pain."

Chin and Steve were both fighting back tears at the absolute sadness in Danny's voice.

Abby reached for Danny and gathered him in a motherly hug, knowing that he was nearing the end of his rope. She pulled back and smiled. "We're keeping an eye on that, Danny. I give you my word that we will manage her pain. She did have a type of IV device placed into her leg in the helicopter, but we were able to remove that in the ER once her veins started cooperating, in favor of one in her forearm instead. That one blew, so we switched to one in the back of her hand. She may be feeling some muscle pain and cramping, because her electrolytes were so out of whack, but that's where you can help us. You know her best. You will be her best voice until she's awake enough to tell us herself. Let us know if she looks like she's having any pain or discomfort at all, and we can intervene pretty quickly. Even when she's more alert, we may still rely on you – many kids try to tough it out, thinking that if they complain of any pain, we won't send them home. So just let Grace know that being honest is a good thing. We want her as comfortable as she can be, okay?"

Danny was spent. There was nothing that he could do, other than let the tears roll down his cheeks.

Steve caught Abby's eye and she nodded, imperceptibly. "Now, Danny. It's your turn. You are going to park yourself on this lovely, only mildly comfortable cot that we brought in for you. I know that you're going to want to keep an eye on your daughter, and that you can't rest on your left side, so we're going to position the bed so that you can stay on your right side, and still keep a hand on Grace."

Danny started to protest, but Steve stepped in. "Don't even try it, Danny. She's stubborn."

Abby's eyes crinkled in delight. "That may be, Commander. But I only want what's best for my patients, _and_ their loved ones."

Steve smiled as he helped Danny to his feet. "Mahalo, Doc. Mahalo."

Kono had returned by this time, and had stowed Danny's supplies in the small closet in Grace's room. She whispered to Chin that Dr. Maclean was on his way to officially discharge Danny, so hopefully that would go a long way towards helping him feel better.

Steve was careful as he helped Danny to the cot. He knew that physically, he probably felt like Bambi on ice – he was so wrung out - so he guided him to the edge of the cot, and helped him lie back against the pillow. Kono helped wedge pillows against his back so that he was more on his side, and smiled as Danny let out a sigh of relief.

Dr. Kuwada waited until Danny was settled on the cot before returning to his side. "So here's how it's going to be, Danny. I'm hearing words that your surgeon is on his way to officially discharge you, and that's great. But that doesn't mean that you get to run yourself into the ground. You will take your medications, and you will sing out long and loud if you feel like anything is out of the ordinary where your shoulder is concerned. Because if you don't? Well, you don't really want to know what I will do. I've spent the last thirty years working with kids – they've taught me a few things about being sneaky, so don't push me okay?"

Danny smiled weakly. "I got it, Doc. Thank you…so much. I don't even know how to…"

She just reached out and squeezed his hand. "You're welcome, Danny. You're welcome. Dr. Mitchell is going to be taking over Grace's care while she's in the PICU – I need to go and get her up to speed on Grace, and then she'll be in to see both of you. Just promise me – don't push yourself too hard. It won't do either of you any good."

Danny nodded, and reached again for Grace's hand. He was thankful that his cot was pushed all the way up against the left side of her bed, because he just couldn't _not_ touch his daughter. The comfort was definitely designed for both of them.

As Danny rested, Chin and Kono stepped into the hallway. Steve followed, thanking Dr. Kuwada for everything that she had done. Chatting briefly with her before she left to give her report to Dr. Mitchell, Steve leaned down to hug her before heading towards his friends. "Okay, Chin. Where are we on the case?" Steve was exhausted, but couldn't afford to stop. Murdock was still out there somewhere, and he wouldn't stop until the bastard was in the ground.

Chin and Kono shared a look. They would update Steve, but then would insist that he got some rest.

"So, the Paikuli cousins are both dead. Mako put a bullet into Ka'ula – apparently younger cousin had a big mouth, and older cousin was worried about what he would spill. When we got to Mako, he was standing over the body – had a nice hole in him mid-chest – and when we ordered him to freeze, he decided to fire on us instead. I clipped him, but SWAT took him down."

Steve closed his eyes and swore. "_Fuck!_ Now we have no link to Murdock?"

Kono shook her head. "Not exactly. They weren't that smart when it came to technology – we did some digging and found deleted copies of e-mails that went back and forth between the three of them. We also have bank statements that verify the transfer of money from Murdock to the cousins, just before the two of them took Grace."

Chin pulled out his phone. "And now that we have a definitive link between Murdock and the Paikuli's, I'm going to let Newark PD know. They said that they would be ready to move in on my signal, and would pick Murdock up for questioning. He's not going to get away with this, Steve. Not with the trail he left behind. They also said that if there was anything that Danny needed to let them know. Many of them still consider him a part of their police family, and let's just say that they were not pleased to hear what happened to Grace."

Steve nodded and sagged back against the wall. Kono was the first to step in. "Okay, Boss. I know it would be pointless to suggest that you go home and get cleaned up and get some rest, so I'm not going to even try. But I _am_ going to insist that you go into Grace's room, and use that lovely reclining chair that they brought in. You can stretch out in it, and can still keep an eye on both Danny and Grace, okay? Like I told Danny, you're not going to do them any good if you collapse."

Chin moved over to Steve's other side. "I can run by your place and grab a bag for you – I can stop and pick up a few more supplies for Danny as well – and maybe some things for Grace? Did they say how long she might be in the PICU?"

Steve shook his head. "Dr. Kuwada said probably no more than 24 hours, if she keeps responding like she has been."

He tipped his head back and closed his eyes. "She also mentioned maybe having Grace speak to someone here – a child psychiatrist – after everything she's been through, she may have a hard time handling things, you know?"

Kono nodded her head. "I think that would be a good idea. I know that when I blew my knee out, I was much older than Grace is now. But trauma is trauma – and talking to someone gave me a safe place to be mad, and sad, and even scared. I can talk to Danny, and even Rachel, if they're unsure."

Chin squeezed her shoulder. He knew that prematurely ending her surfing career was a huge blow to her, but he hadn't realized just how far into her own head she had gotten.

Steve reached out one arm and pulled Kono into a hug. After she pulled back, he did the same with Chin. "Thank you, you guys. This could have had a very different ending without your help."

Kono smirked. "Yeah, yeah. Day's work and all of that. Oh! Before I forget. I talked with Denning, and filled him in on where we were with the case. He's sending two HPD officers to guard Grace's room, at least until we're sure that Murdock is rounded up. He wanted you both to just be able to rest, and not worry about her physical safety."

Steve could only nod his approval, and was grateful for Denning's assist.

Chin lightly pushed on Steve's shoulders, trying to get him moving towards Grace's room. Danny was dozing, and Grace looked like she was as well. It was time for Steve to do the same. "Okay, Steve. Enough is enough. I'll make a run to yours and Danny's houses, while Kono heads to the office and checks in with Newark. Hopefully they'll have Murdock cooling his heels by morning."

As Steve carefully sat down in the recliner, he rolled his eyes as Kono tucked a warm blanket around his upper body. Keeping his voice low, he raised one eyebrow at her and whispered, "Seriously?"

She just gave him a quick kiss on top of his head before tiptoeing out the door. Before he let himself relax, though, he had a phone call to make. He needed to let Rachel know that her daughter was safe. He pulled out his cell phone, knowing that thanks to Toast's 'shield' program, it wouldn't interfere with any of the sensitive equipment in the PICU.

As it rang, he blew out a breath, trying to calm down. Hearing the connection on the other end, he quietly whispered, "Rachel? It's Steve. Grace is going to be okay."

He listened to her sobs on the other end, and fought back emotions of his own. He knew that this situation was hard on her, especially in dealing with mother's rapidly declining health in England.

"Rachel, listen. I can't talk very long, but it's important that you heard from me what was going on. Grace is in the PICU at Queen's Medical. When I found her, she was suffering from heat stroke, but between the Coast Guard and I, we were able to get her temperature down. She was dehydrated as well, but they're giving her IV fluids now, and they are very pleased with how she's responding. She's asleep right now, but I promise you, I'll have her call you as soon as she can, okay?"

He debated telling her everything, but ultimately decided to just give her the basics. She could be pissed at him later, if she wanted to. But she was halfway around the world and couldn't do anything about it – he really felt it was more important that she focus on the positives right now, rather than just how close they had all come to losing Grace.

"What? Oh. Well, Danny's surgery went as well as it could. Hopefully he won't have any lasting issues. He's finally resting now. His surgeon released him as soon as Grace was in the PICU, and they brought a cot into her room."

He listened to her question, showing a half-smile in response. "Yes, I'm planning on staying, too."

He stared at Danny, worried to see the stress lines on his face. He needed to try to smooth things over before they got too bumpy. "Listen, Rachel. We're still working out all of the details, but the man who arranged to have her taken did it as revenge against Danny testifying in his case. He blamed Danny for having to go to jail, instead of taking responsibility for selling assault weapons to a teenager. It's just…well…please don't blame Danny for this. This isn't his fault. The asshole who did this has spent the last 6 years planning his revenge – but it's not fair to make this all on Danny. He did the right thing putting this guy away."

Steve couldn't have been more surprised when Danny's ex-wife agreed that this wasn't Danny's fault, and she would even go so far as to tell him that herself when he was up to speaking with her. She was scared for her daughter, understandably. But the abject animosity that she used to feel towards Danny had faded over time, and ever since Danny had stood up to her during the last custody hearing, she knew that when push came to shove, he really would go above and beyond where his daughter was concerned.

"Rachel, thank you. I need to go now, but you have my word that Grace and Danny will call you as soon as they can. In the meantime, if you need anything…_anything at all_, please let us know. How is your mom doing?"

Steve let out a sigh as she shared that her mom was nearing the end of her life. She did ask that Grace not be told yet – she just wanted her daughter to concentrate on getting well.

As Steve agreed, he noticed that one of the nurses had moved quietly into the room. She set her supplies onto the side table and approached Steve, waiting for him to disconnect. Once he did, she showed him her ID badge in greeting.

"Hi Commander McGarrett. I'm Nalani. I'm going to be Grace's nurse until tomorrow morning. We've noted in her chart that her father, you, and the other members of the Five-0 team have full visitation. What that means, is that you do not have to abide by normal PICU visiting hours. Given the circumstances, the Governor was quite clear in his instructions, and we fully agree."

Steve was confused, and yet grateful for the backing.

Nalani continued. "I'm just going to record her vitals, and then Dr. Mitchell wants some cold packs placed under Grace's arms, and in some…other…helpful spots. Her temperature is slowly coming down, but we're going to see if we can give it a boost. I'm also going to switch out the IV fluid to a cooled one – that should help, too. Should I wake Detective Williams up and let him know what I'm doing, or would he be upset if I let him sleep? He honestly looks like he needs the rest, too. So do you, but you were already awake." She gave him a look that commanded instant compliance, and Steve reluctantly nodded.

"Nah…let Danny sleep. And yes, I know…and I promise that I will rest some. It's just…until I know that they are both okay, it's hard to let myself relax."

Nalani finished placing the gel packs and covering Grace back up with the light sheet, before turning to where Steve was now sitting back up. "Please try not to worry, Commander. I've been working in the PICU for almost 10 years now, and I can usually get a pretty good read on my patients. I really think that Grace will be fine. Her vitals are stable, although not quite where we want them in order to boot her out of here. She's responding to treatment, which is a very good sign. I won't tell you to relax, but I will insist that you at least try, okay?"

Steve nodded and swallowed against the lump in his throat. Try…he could do that.

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	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Thanks for the patience as I worked on this chapter. I really do love teaching, but am annoyed that it's cutting into my writing time, darn it. I also apologize if I didn't get to reply to your review - I know the site was giving me issues and error codes, and was just being difficult. Hopefully it's settled down, now. **

**Usual disclaimers - Don't own Hawaii Five-0 or CBS, and no copyright infringement is intended.**

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The next hour passed in relative comfort for those inside Grace's room. Dr. Maclean had come in and roused Danny long enough to officially discharge him from his surgical care. He had given Danny explicit instructions, much like the ones Dr. Kuwada had given, making Danny wonder if they weren't tag teaming him somehow.

He had also left a prescription for pain medication. At first, Danny was going to refuse, but Steve calmly placed his hands on the sides of Danny's head and physically turned it so that he was staring at his daughter.

"She needs you to not be in pain, D. I know you don't want to take anything, but please don't put yourself at risk. I'm going to stick around, so if either of you need anything, I'll be here. Just please, Danny? Take care of yourself."

Reluctantly, Danny had agreed, much to Steve's relief. The doctor, after understanding Danny's concerns, agreed to switch the pain medication to a non-narcotic, prescription strength one that should leave him with a clearer head. Dr. Maclean showed them both what to look for in terms of infection, although Danny was showing no signs of anything going wrong.

He did stress the importance of Danny resting, especially while Grace was still so out of it. Surgery had taken a lot out of him, as did the recovery from the anesthesia. It was crucial that Danny did everything that the doctor suggested, in order to avoid any complications that would hinder his recovery; both in the short term and further down the road.

So fortunately for everyone involved, Danny had taken one of the painkillers and was comfortably dozing with his daughter in her bed close by.

If only Steve would do the same. Although he was supposed to be resting, he couldn't shut his mind off long enough to relax at all. So he spent sixty plus minutes just staring – at Grace, hoping she would wake up; at Danny, praying that he could finally let go of the fear and worry that had plagued him; and even outside the window, wondering how the place that he loved so much could be home to crimes such as the one that had obliterated their ohana.

Steve wasn't naïve – he was the leader of the Governor's task force – he knew that crime existed on the island. But to have crime touch Grace like it had? And Danny? That was something he was really struggling with in his head.

He didn't have long to sit and ponder though, as Nalani popped her head into the room, asking if Steve needed anything. Thanks to Micah's mild case of hero worship, nearly every doctor and nurse within earshot learned just what lengths Steve had gone through to save his honorary niece.

To say they were impressed would be an understatement. There were plenty of people around who were willing to keep watch and make sure that the Five-0 Ohana would want for nothing while they were here.

However, Steve didn't care about any of the gossipy chitchat that was taking place. He just wanted to know that Danny and Grace would be okay.

Steve shook his head in the negative, although he gestured towards where Danny slept. "I know he hasn't really been eating that much – is there any way to order him a tray? Maybe just something light to see how he does, and then if he wants anything different, I'm sure Chin and Kono will be back later."

Nalani finished drawing some blood from Grace's IV line and bagged the sample, walking over to him and whispering. "Are you mad at him or something?"

Steve looked perplexed. "No, why?"

Nalani just grinned. "I'm not sure what he ever did to you, but I sure as heck wouldn't order him a tray. There's nothing on the patient menu that is worth all of that trauma."

Steve smiled tiredly. He could see her point.

"Listen. My husband is bringing me food from Andy's. Why don't I have him pick Danny up some soup and maybe a smoothie, and see how he does. I bed he'd love one of the cream varieties – they're made with ice cream. I'll get them to throw in a couple of rolls, too. Now how about you? Do you think you could manage a sandwich?" Nalani knew that Steve was the type of person who would put everyone else before himself, so she decided to be the proverbial 'bull in a china shop', as her husband called her whenever people were in need.

Steve shook his head. "Nah. I'm good. But no pineapple in the smoothie – I'll never hear the end of it otherwise. Strawberry is probably okay."

Nalani nodded. "Nix the pineapple. Got it. Now as for you, I'm thinking roast beef? Am I right?"

Steve shook his head. "No, really. I'm…"

Nalani just kept on, like he hadn't even said a word. "No…I think turkey. And avocado. Tomato. Cheese? Hmm…nope. No cheese. Now the only question is whether you want chips or a side of fruit."

She simply stared at Steve, daring him to argue with her. She might be small, but she didn't pull any punches.

He sighed, knowing when to give in. "Fine. Fruit. And a water? Please?"

Nalani stood back up with a devious grin on her face. "Now see, Commander? That wasn't so hard, was it?"

He tried to glare, but really wasn't mad. "Do you always get your way?"

Nalani just shrugged one shoulder. "Yep. I'm going to get these labs off – Dr. Mitchell wants to check Grace's electrolyte levels. I'll call my husband, and dinner should be here within the hour." She waved as she headed out the door, focused on her task at hand.

Steve just stared out the door, not entirely sure what happened, but unwilling to try to figure it out. He figured that tonight was just one of those nights to go with the flow.

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It took approximately another 15 minutes before Steve noticed a little movement coming from Grace's bed. He quickly climbed out of his chair and hurried over to Danny's cot. Placing a careful hand on his arm, he whispered, "Danny? Hey, man. Wake up."

Danny jerked awake and bit his lip in a grimace. "Steve? What happened?"

Steve kept his hand on Danny's arm, hopefully grounding him a bit as he woke up. "It's okay. I think Grace might be waking up a little bit."

Danny nearly tripped himself trying to get out of his makeshift bed, so Steve kept close in case he needed help. He moved as quickly as he could to Grace's side.

"Grace? Monkey? It's Danno. Baby, can you open your eyes for me?" Danny was bent over the bed, his forehead nearly touching Grace's. It felt like an eternity since Danny had been able to hold his little girl – he wasn't about to get too far away from her right now.

While he kept up his steady encouragement, Steve stepped into the hall to see if Nalani was around. Seeing her coming down the hallway, he motioned for her to come and check on Grace. She let him know that she was just going to grab some IV supplies and then she would be in.

Steve moved back to the end of Grace's bed – a stalwart standing fast. He could see Grace's pinched expression, and knew that she was trying to fight her way back to her Danno.

"Grace, it's all right, baby. You're safe now. Danno's here. Uncle Steve is here, too. We just need you to open your eyes so we can see how great you are doing, okay?" Danny had shifted so that he was half-sitting on the edge of her bed with a spare pillow in his lap, propping up his sling-wrapped arm.

After what felt like an eternity, but was really only a few seconds, Grace finally managed to open her eyes. After looking wearily around, she finally met Danny's stare. Her expression was pained, so Danny kept his voice low and soothing.

"Hey, Monkey! I know it's all kind of mixed up right now, but you're safe. You're in the hospital, but I promise you're going to be just fine. Can you tell me how you feel?"

Grace swallowed roughly and shook her head. Her throat was really sore.

Steve reached over and handed Danny a cup with some ice chips in it, and he gratefully spooned one into his daughter's mouth. "Try this, okay. Just take your time."

While Grace let the ice dissolve, she moved her gaze around the room, finally landing on Steve, now standing next to Danny. "Hi, Gracie! It's great to see you awake."

She gave the briefest of smiles, before turning back to her dad. "Danno?"

Danny leaned over and gently kissed her forehead. "I'm here, baby. I'm here. I love you so much, Monkey. So, so much."

Grace blinked back a few tears. She was starting to feel overwhelmed, but didn't understand why. She didn't feel very well, and she was confused about what happened to her, and how she ended up in the hospital. It was so unsettling and scary to her, that the only thing she could do was let the tears roll down her cheeks, unchecked.

Remembering what Dr. Kuwada told him, Danny tried to make things easier for his daughter. "Grace? I know things don't make sense right now, and you probably don't feel very good. And nurse Nalani is going to help with that, just as soon as she gets in here. But we need to check on how you're doing, okay? Can you tell me…do you feel sick in your stomach?"

He was relieved when Grace shook her head no.

"Whew. So very glad about that, Monkey. How about your head? Does it hurt?"

That brought some rapid blinking, as if she was trying not to cry, as well as a definite nod.

"So yes to a headache. If 5 fingers is the super worst headache ever, can you show me how many yours is?"

Grace weakly held up 4 fingers, as Nalani came into the room with a small IV bag and the thermometer.

Danny smiled down at his daughter. She was being so brave. "You're doing so great, Grace. Now does anything else hurt?"

Grace was starting to breathe quickly, so Nalani moved to grab the emesis basin, just in case. Grace nodded her head, whispering, "My arms and legs. They really hurt."

Nalani stepped forward and set her supplies on the side table. "Hi Grace. I'm Nalani. I get to be your nurse for tonight. Can you tell me how old you are?"

After asking her some identifying questions, and getting appropriate answers, she noted that while Grace was groggy and a bit out of it, she was mostly oriented to who she was, and who her loved ones were in the room with her.

"So Grace. I'm going to get you some medicine to make you feel better, okay? I'm also going to add this little bag to your IV. You won't feel it, because I'm going to attach it to the machine instead of you."

While she was piggy-backing the smaller bag into the IV pump, she mentioned to Danny that the labwork that she had drawn earlier showed that Grace's electrolytes were still out of balance, which would explain the headache and the muscle pain. Adding the bolus would help. She was also going to give her some pain medication along with a very low dose of Valium, both to combat the muscle cramping, and the growing anxiety. They really needed to let Grace rest as much as she could, for as long as she needed to.

She finished adding the electrolytes, pain meds, and the Valium to the IV then ran the thermometer over Grace's temporal artery. She smiled as she showed the number to Danny and Steve. "Woo hoo, Miss Grace! We get to take these cold packs away from you for a while. Maybe even forever."

Danny was relieved to see that her temperature had now dropped below her 102 degree benchmark – she was all the way down to 101.4. Provided her temperature stayed down, she was one step closer to moving out of the PICU.

"Now, Grace. Can you tell me if there's anything else you need? What would make you feel better?" Nalani really had a way with kids, and Danny and Steve were grateful that she was Grace's nurse.

Grace just shrugged one shoulder. She really didn't know what she wanted or needed.

Nalani was used to this type of response from kids who were struggling to reorient themselves to the waking world. "It's okay, Grace. No worries. If you think of anything that you want or need, just let your dad know. We want you to feel better, but it's okay if you don't know what you want."

She saw that Grace was starting to doze back off, so she turned to talk with Danny. "Okay. Your turn. I've taken the liberty of getting you some soup and a smoothie. It should be here pretty soon. I really would like to see you get something into your system, okay? Grace could even share some smoothie if she wanted to."

Nalani wasn't too worried – she knew Grace wouldn't have much appetite for a while, but she could try whatever sounded good.

Danny choked up as Grace reached for his hand. Her voice was a whisper, but he heard it loud and clear. "You eat, Danno. You need to get better, too."

"I will, baby. I promise. And you can help me if you want to, okay?"

Grace shook her head. "Not hungry. Just tired. Can I…is it okay if I hold you?" She was almost asleep again, but really wanted to hold her Danno. She needed to feel him nearby, and wanted to know that she was safe.

Danny bit his bottom lip, forcing himself to not lose it in front of his daughter. "I want that too, Grace. More than anything."

Steve looked at Nalani, hoping that she would find a way to allow this to work.

She nodded her head. "It'll be fine. She's probably the most stable ICU patient we have in here, so it's not a problem. If it is, then they can just bite me."

Danny smiled as she motioned for him to stand up. Steve stood at the ready, in case they needed an extra hand. "Okay, Miss Grace. Here's what we're going to do. Steve is going to carefully scoot you towards the railing by the window. Once you're comfy, Danny is going to lie next to you. You can help make sure his arm is okay, and we'll put some pillows around him just to make sure. After that, we'll get you covered up a little bit, and you can cuddle to your heart's content, okay? Does that sound good?"

Grace's tired smile was the only answer they needed, and so the plan was put into place. Steve slid Grace over, and snuck a kiss onto her forehead while he was moving her. Grace just squeezed his hand. Nalani helped Danny get settled on 'his' side of the bed, and then Steve slid Grace over to where she belonged – close to Danny's heart.

Danny gathered her in and sighed, feeling more content than he had in a long while. Grace's eyes were already closed, and she appeared to be fairly comfortable. Some would say that it was thanks to the medication, and that was partly true. However Steve knew better – the best medication for her right now was lying beside her and holding her close.

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**Thanks for reading. There's still lots more to come - I hope you enjoy! I hope to have the next chapter up by Saturday at the latest - it's a crazy busy rest of the week at work. **

**Bundle up and stay safe if you're in the cold!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: First of all, I wanted to thank you again for your patience. Your reward is an extra long chapter. I hope you don't mind, LOL. My plan is to try to update on Tuesdays and Saturdays, if not earlier. It's a hectic time in the junior high teaching world right now, with the end of one quarter and the start of the next, and me currently residing in grading hell.**

**I wanted to congratulate _LisaG16_ for being the 100th reviewer of this story. Her prize was to get to suggest something for me to include in an upcoming chapter - it didn't fit into this one, but it will happen in Chapter 13.**

**I know I'm like a broken record, but I'm so grateful to everyone who takes the time to let me know what they thought. **

**As usual, no infringement is intended, and I own nothing related to Hawaii Five-0 or CBS.**

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With Danny and Steve finally fed, they had both settled into a light doze. Neither wanted to completely zone out, for fear that Grace would wake up and need something. Nalani had come in, and reassured them that most likely, Grace was out for the night. Between the pain medication and the Valium, she was pretty relaxed, and if all went well, would sleep through the night.

Dr. Mitchell had come in and introduced herself; letting both men know that Grace was doing as well as could be expected. Adding the electrolytes to her IV had balanced out her bloodwork, and now the next step would be eventually removing her IV and getting her to consume enough by mouth to maintain her healing.

Once that happened, Dr. Mitchell felt pretty strongly that she could move out onto the regular pediatrics floor, and then possibly within the next 48 hours or so, be released from the hospital once and for all.

Her temperature was staying down, although it was still slightly elevated. Medically, she was on track to fully recover from the devastating incident. Emotionally, however, she still had a long way to go – they all did. Had things gone even slightly differently in trying to track, locate, and find her; there most likely would have been a drastically different outcome for the entire Williams family.

Chin and Kono had stopped back by, bringing one bag for both Danny and Grace, as well as another one for Steve. Danny was grateful for the thought that went into choosing items that Grace might appreciate, once she was feeling better. Chin had loaded a tablet with movies and games, as well as a few books that Kono thought Grace would like; and Kono had added some puzzle books and stuffed animals.

The two just sat, allowing Steve and Danny to draw comfort from their stability. It was the only thing that they could think of to do at that moment. Kono looked between her boss and her teammate and honestly couldn't decide who looked worse. Steve had circles under his eyes, and she could see the rigidity in his muscles – it was as if he was in the middle of a SEAL op, and was having a hard time standing down. She knew that finding Grace had to have been rough – she wasn't sure of all of the details, but could only imagine the horrors that Steve had experienced.

Danny just looked ragged – she could tell that he was still dealing with some pain issues, and probably wasn't resting comfortably where he was, but based on the soft smile that had not left his face from the moment they had walked in, there was not one person in the room that would dare take that away from him.

Chin caught her eye, and she nodded. "Okay, guys. We're going to get out of your hair. Let us know if you need _anything_ at all – we can be down here in no time." After she unfolded herself from the plastic chair, Kono carefully tucked a new stuffed dolphin in between Grace and Danny, leaving her teammate to give her an only mildly disgusted look. Danny didn't despise dolphins per say – but it was just one more reminder of this pineapple-infested-hellhole that his daughter absolutely loved, and that he was grudgingly starting to think of as home.

Chin turned to Steve. "I'll text you first if we get any more information on Murdock. You can call me back when you're free. Hopefully the Newark PD has made some headway in finding him. There is no way he's going to get away with this. I hope you both know that."

Steve nodded tiredly, as Danny halfway hugged Kono. He was ready for this whole nightmare to be over with, so that they could all move on.

Once the cousins were out of the room, Danny carefully shifted before letting his head fall back against the pillow. "Damn it."

Steve sat up quickly, his voice a whisper. "What's wrong, Danny?"

Danny chuckled ruefully. "I feel like a turtle, stuck here. I need to get up – my shoulder is getting pretty stiff and sore. But Grace is on my good arm, and I can't move."

Steve maneuvered himself out of the sleep chair and over to Grace's side. With a skill that Danny didn't even know Steve possessed, he gently shifted Grace so that she was off of Danny's arm, ever mindful of the assorted tubes that were tethering her to various pieces of equipment.

Once Danny was able to pull his arm away, Steve tucked Grace against the pillow and covered her with the sheet. Pleased that she seemed somewhat comfortable, Steve moved around the bed to where Danny was still trying to figure out how to pull himself up with one arm.

"Just a second, Danny. Let me move the pillows out of the way." Steve unpacked the pillows that Nalani had put behind him and tossed them to the foot of the bed. Once he was free, Steve helped Danny sit up and turn so that he was able to get out of bed.

"Thanks, man. That was about to get awkward." Danny slowly stood and stretched, mindful of the sling and his stitches. Taking stock, he realized that he felt absolutely gross, and would probably feel more human if he could get cleaned up a little bit.

He looked around the room, somewhat confused. He was so tired, he could barely remember the past hour.

Steve could see that he was flagging, so he stepped closer. "What do you need, D?"

Danny shook his head to clear it, and took a deep breath. "I'm okay. Just tired. I thought I'd see about getting cleaned up a little bit, if you don't mind staying with Grace? Oh, and before I forget, I have to meet with the PT in her office tomorrow morning – would you mind hanging out with her then, too?"

Steve nodded. "Of course I'll stay with her. You have my word – I will keep her safe. I have a feeling someone will be staying with her for a long time – and not all for her benefit, either."

Danny blew out a breath. "Listen, Steve. I know I talk a lot. You've been on the receiving end of more than one rant. But, every time I've tried to figure out how to say what I want right now, I just can't make it sound right. So I'm just going to come out and say it. You were there for Grace when I couldn't be, and I can never repay you for that. One day soon, I want to know what happened to her, but not right now. It might be torturing myself, but I _can't_ not know, you know? But for right now, I just need to enjoy the fact that my daughter is alive and is safe – and it's because of you. When push comes to shove, all I can get to make sense is thank you. Thank you for giving me my daughter back." By the end of his speech, Danny had tears in his eyes, as did Steve.

He knew that no words were necessary, and he really didn't know how to respond anyway, so he simply caught Danny in a gentle hug. As he held his best friend, Steve could feel the weight of everything that he had been through start to crash down on Danny. He just held on tighter, knowing that Danny needed this.

Unsure as to whether Danny was even listening, he softly told him, "There are no thanks necessary, Danny. You are my best friend. Grace is your daughter. You both are my ohana, always."

Danny just nodded against Steve's shoulder, before stepping back and wiping at his eyes. "I'm sorry, Steve. I didn't mean –"

Steve shot a glare at his partner. "I swear, Danny. If you finish that sentence, I'm going to bust your other shoulder. There is nothing to apologize for. This whole situation is completely…" He dropped his voice to a whisper, not wanting to take a chance on having to add to Grace's swear jar. "…fucked up. I know they mentioned Grace possibly talking to someone about what she went through. I'm thinking it might be a good idea for all of us, you know? I'm not a fan of shrinks, but I don't think either one of us have a compartment big enough to contain the fallout from this."

Danny took a good look at his friend. It hit him just how much Steve had suffered as well. His own imagination was supplying the mental images of just what could have happened to his daughter out there, but Steve was the one to really go through it all. "Damn it, Steve. Here I am falling apart all over you, and you've been through just as much hell as I have, if not more."

Steve just held up his hand. "Danny, don't. It's not a contest. I get what you're saying, and I appreciate your concern, but I'll be fine, okay?"

Danny stared him down, knowing that now was not the time to call 'bullshit'. "Yeah, okay. Now are you sure you're okay for a few minutes? I'm not going to worry about a shower – maybe I'll try that after PT tomorrow. But I just need to scrape a few layers of fuzz off."

Steve shook his head. "Go ahead. Grace and I will be just fine. Just be careful, okay? I'm not hauling your ass out of there if you fall in, got it?"

Danny just flipped him off as he headed into the bathroom, leaving Steve chuckling behind him.

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The rest of the night was relatively uneventful, as Grace did sleep the rest of the way through. She stirred a few times, but calmed at the sound of Danny's voice. Danny managed to sleep some as well, although he kept one ear completely tuned into his daughter – much like when she was first born. He was very concerned at how out of it Grace still was, but Nalani stepped in to assure him.

"Danny, I promise, she's doing really well, given everything she's been through. But to be honest? Her body is pretty wiped out. It's been just over twelve hours since she was brought in. Triple that time frame, and you're still on the outside of normal limits for her to fully wake up. So I'm not going to tell you to not worry – she's your daughter. Of course you're going to worry. But there is no need to go into panic mode right now, okay? She just needs to rest and her body will let us know when it's ready to get going again."

Nalani was very pleased that they didn't need to give her any more pain or anxiety medication. The IV electrolytes had seemed to do the trick, and eased the muscle cramps. She was also happy to see that Grace's kidney function was much more positive, although they still weren't completely happy with her output.

Danny had started to fret, but Nalani reassured him. "I've seen this before, Danny. I would be willing to bet that another 6-12 hours of IV fluids will do the trick. Now once she's more awake, we're going to really have to encourage her to at least drink fairly frequently. We want to get that catheter out of her too, but we really can't until she's drinking more. I'm not as worried right now if she doesn't eat a whole lot, but fluids are going to be key for her. She's not on any restricted diet, so far, so whatever she thinks sounds good will work."

Danny nodded. "What about a shave ice? We have a friend who runs a stand – Grace has always been his taste tester. I know that he would make her any flavor she wanted."

Nalani agreed. "That's a great idea, actually. Maybe if he went light on the syrup, and she didn't plow through the entire thing, at least for the first attempt. But if she has a flavor she wants, go ahead and have your friend bring it for her. We can order her smoothies and things here, too. I'm getting ready to go off shift, but Ami is going to be her nurse today. If Grace is still here tonight, I will request her again…I know they were thinking about moving her to the floor, but it all depends on how she does today. Don't get me wrong – a tiny part of me hopes she's still here tonight because she's been such a great patient to take care of. She's stable, and you guys have all been so helpful and supportive – I don't always get to see that." With a smile, and a wave to Danny and Grace; she left to go give her report to Ami.

Before Nalani had come in, Steve decided that he would run down to the cafeteria and grab some coffee and whatever breakfast looked palatable for Danny and him. Knowing that Steve would be back soon, Danny decided to explain to Grace what was going to happen, even if she wasn't awake to hear it.

"Hey, Monkey. I have to go see somebody about my shoulder, but I don't want you to worry, okay? Uncle Steve is going to be right here with you. You're still in the hospital, and you're safe now, all right? So don't worry – if you want to wake up, that would be great. Maybe you could teach Uncle Steve about Spongebob? I don't think he gets out very much."

"Hey!" Steve heard that last part as he walked into the room, and tried to sound offended, but he wasn't fooling anyone.

Danny just grinned, as he accepted the offered coffee and bagel. Downing the breakfast quickly, he knew that he had to hurry to make it to his appointment. Danny blew out an annoyed breath. He really didn't want to have to leave to go and see the physical therapist, but Dr. Maclean had made it a condition of his release. He wasn't cleared to start any activity yet, but Dr. Maclean had told him that in order to be discharged, he would have to make and keep this appointment.

Steve rested a hand on Danny's shoulder. "I know you don't want to go, Danny. But you need to find out what you need to do to take care of you. I need my partner back at full strength, okay?"

Danny nodded. He knew Steve was right. But it didn't change the fact that Danny was not ready to completely leave Grace, even for an hour. He trusted Steve – but he couldn't help feeling on edge as he headed down the hall towards the elevators.

While Danny was gone, Steve pulled one of the chairs up next to Grace's bed. He pulled out the tablet that Chin had left, and found one of the downloaded books. He hoped that the sound of his voice would help Grace feel less alone. He had been injured and unconscious before, and knew how terrifying it was to feel like you were in a void.

After about fifteen minutes of reading, Steve noticed that Grace was starting to toss her head and grimace. He quickly set the tablet aside, and perched on the edge of her bed. Her face was pale; her forehead damp. "Gracie, it's okay. You're okay, sweetheart."

Her hands were plucking weakly at the sheet, and her feet were sliding up and down, as if she was trying to outrun her nightmare. Before he could even try to calm her, she released a pained, "Nooooooo!", deep from the bottom of her heart.

"Grace, can you wake up for me? It's Uncle Steve. You're safe, but I need you to wake up now." Along with his gentle words, he reached out and lightly stroked her hair.

"Come on, Gracie. Can you open your eyes?" He was afraid that she would pull one of her lines if she kept thrashing, so he decided to try something.

Toeing off his shoes, he turned himself so that his back was towards her pillow. He carefully scooped her up, sheet and all. Using the controls, he raised the head of the bed so that he could lean back more comfortably against the pillows, with Grace's head tucked up underneath his chin.

All the while, he kept up his soothing murmuring, having no idea whether anything was even reaching her wherever she was at that moment. Ami had noticed the elevated heart rate alarm, and came in to check. As soon as she saw Grace, she quickly figured out that it was a nightmare.

She briefly thought about medication, but noticed that Grace was slowly calming down, thanks to Steve's presence. He hadn't even flinched – he just coached Grace through the terror until she slowly started to emerge on the other side.

Ami motioned to Steve that she would be out at the charting station, and quietly left the room.

After what felt like an eternity, Steve noticed that Grace had stilled, and was quietly sniffling against his chest. He looked down, and was happy to see her brown eyes locked onto his.

"Hey, Gracie. You're in the hospital, and you're safe." He knew that the constant reminders were repetitive, but there was no way to know just how much Grace had heard over the past twelve hours.

He just kept lightly rubbing her back, noticing how tightly she had gripped his shirt. He knew that she was probably still somewhere in between awake and asleep, so he continued to talk softly, until she was more cognizant of her surroundings.

Finally, he felt her let go of his shirt to wipe at her face, but as soon as she was finished, had grabbed the soft cloth again. "Where's Danno?" Her voice was barely a whisper, but it was enough for Steve.

"He had to go see a lady and find out when he can start exercises for his shoulder."

Grace was quiet for a few minutes. "He hurt it, right? I think he did, but I don't remember."

Steve nodded, tucking the sheet more firmly around her in response to her shiver. "Yeah, Gracie. He did. He was chasing after a bad guy and tackled him like a football player. He just landed wrong and hurt his shoulder. He had surgery, and they fixed it up for him, and he's going to be just fine."

Grace's breath hitched against his chest, and it just about broke his heart. He gently tipped her chin up and met her eyes. "Can you tell me what's wrong, sweetheart?"

Grace's chin quivered and her tears spilled over her lashes. "I'm scared. I only remember a little bit, but it's all mixed up. The last thing I remember before it all got dark was that nobody came. How come nobody came, Uncle Steve?"

Steve looked stricken. '_Was that what she thought? Was that her last memory?' _He kissed her on the forehead and wrapped his arms around her. "Aww, Gracie, no. I promise, none of us stopped looking for you, from the minute we found out you were gone. It took us a little while to reach you, but we never quit. I'm so sorry that you thought you were alone, but Grace, we love you. We will never leave you. I promise you that."

She was crying softly now, so Steve just settled her more firmly against his torso, knowing that her emotions were only the beginning of the healing to come. But it was a necessary step in the recovery process – he knew that first hand.

He kept up the comforting whispering, as she eventually drifted back to sleep. He was unwilling to move her just yet, so he quietly reclined the head of the bed a little bit and made sure she was comfortable. Only when he was satisfied that she was all right, did he let his own tears roll down his cheeks. He was almost physically sick at the thought of Grace being aware enough of her surroundings to realize that she was alone – and right then, he vowed once again that Randall Murdock would pay for what he had done.

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	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Thank you for all of the alerts, follows, and reviews. I appreciate them so very much!**

**Disclaimer: The usual - I don't own anything Hawaii Five-0 or CBS related, and no copyright infringement intended.**

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All in all, Grace only slept for another twenty minutes or so before slowly coming back awake. Steve could almost feel her thinking, so he just lightly rubbed her back until she was ready for conversation.

It didn't take too long before she had tilted her face up. He lightly poked her nose, grinning as she quirked one corner of her mouth up. _It was a start_. "Hey, munchkin. Did you have a good rest?"

She looked a little anxious as she dropped her gaze, rested her ear against his chest and nodded. He wasn't sure what was going on inside her head, so he carefully tried to get to the bottom of whatever was troubling her. "Are you okay, Grace?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her biting at her bottom lip – it was a nervous habit that she had picked up over the past few months, and was understandably back in full force. Eventually, she shrugged one shoulder.

A little piece of his heart broke, as he could see how much she was struggling. "Is there anything I can get you? Danno should be back in a little bit."

He was met with silence, until finally, she asked, "Is he going to be okay?"

Steve was pretty sure that she wasn't _just_ upset about Danny, but he figured he'd tackle one thing at a time. "I promise you, Grace. Your daddy will be just fine. He has to keep his arm protected for a little while, but the lady he went to talk to is going to show him ways to make his arm feel stronger and move better."

Grace thought for a moment. "Like when he hurt his knee? Danno hated doing his exercises."

Steve chuckled wryly. "Yep…just like that. So he hated doing his exercises, huh? What do you think we should do about that? Do you think that once you're feeling better, you could help him?"

Grace bit her lip again and nodded.

Steve knew there was much more on her mind, and he wanted to try to make her feel safe enough to talk to Danny – or to him – or to anyone. He really wanted to find a way to keep the conversation going, and to not let Grace shut down. So he had an idea – an unconventional idea, but an idea, nonetheless.

"Hey, Grace? I need to go and ask Ami a question, but I promise I'll only be in the doorway. Would that be okay? I'm not leaving, and I won't be out of your sight. I just want to grab something from her, all right?" Steve kept his voice relatively low – he could tell that Grace was a bit spooked right now, and didn't want to add to her stress, if he could help it.

Her big brown eyes were shimmering with tears, but she eventually nodded, not taking her eyes off of him as he moved to the doorway. Fortunately, Ami was right outside, and in less than a minute, had come back with the supplies Steve had asked for.

The young nurse was smiling at the lengths Grace's family was willing to go through to try to help her, and she was glad to know that her young patient had such a strong support group surrounding her.

Steve hurried back, busying himself with the extra sheet and the medical tape he now held in his hand. Grace's gaze never wavered, as she watched Steve tape one corner of the sheet to her IV pole near the head of her bed, and another corner to the plastic footrest at the bottom of her bed. He did the same thing on the other side, using an empty IV stand that Ami had stealthily brought in, and fastened the last corner to the opposite side of the footrest.

Essentially, Steve had created a sort of fort, and while the rest of the world may have thought that it lacked conventional wisdom; to him, it made perfect sense. He just had to get Grace to see that it made sense, and then hopefully she would feel safe enough to talk.

Carefully arranging himself back at her side, he smiled softly while brushing an errant piece of hair from near her eye. "You're probably thinking I'm kind of nuts right now. Danno would probably say that you were right, but I think I have a pretty good idea what might help. See, Gracie, when my sister Mary was younger, she had times when she seemed pretty sad. I tried to be a good big brother and talk to her, but sometimes she said that the room felt too big – that she didn't really feel that safe. So one day, I couldn't find her. I went looking for her, and finally found her in my mom's closet. After I yelled at her for scaring me by hiding for so long, I couldn't stand the tears and the sad look on her face any more."

Steve reached for the tissues that were on the end table. "I finally crawled in there with her, and do you know what she told me?" He waited as Grace shook her head. "She told me that being inside the small room made her feel safer – like nothing bad could get to her in there."

Grace had turned onto her side, facing Steve where he sat. She reached for the hem of his button down shirt and lightly wrapped her fingers into the soft cotton.

Out in the hallway, Danny had been on his way in, but Ami stopped him to explain what Steve had told her. He appreciated Steve's efforts – there really wasn't anything he wouldn't do for Grace, and that truly warmed Danny's heart.

He peeked into the doorway and tried to be quiet, knowing that Grace needed to try to talk to someone – _anyone_ – and yeah, he wanted it to be him, but at this point, he would be happy if she shared something with someone, instead of bottling it all up inside.

"So Gracie – you're safe now. You know that, right? I can tell that something else is bothering you. Your dad would do anything to help you – I would, too. But we can't help, unless we know what's upsetting you."

Grace spent a few moments just staring off to the side, tears sliding down her cheek at random. Finally, she took a deep breath and looked into Steve's eyes. "I'm sorry, Uncle Steve. I want to be strong like you and Danno, but I'm scared. And I don't want you to be mad at me or sad that I can't be brave. I just…I don't want you or Danno to hate me."

Danny's heart broke as he heard his daughter softly speak those words. He couldn't let her go on thinking that she was disappointing him – or any of them – in any way, shape, or form, so he hurried to the bed. He gently moved one edge of the sheet away so that he could sit on the opposite edge of her bed, still keeping them all somewhat hidden inside their makeshift fort.

She immediately shifted so that she was closer to Danny and wrapped one arm around his. "Grace – you know I love you to the moon and back, right? And most of the time, you're probably smarter than your old man. But – and I love you no matter what – you're wrong. There is no way – ever – that any of us could be mad at you for being scared. And there's absolutely zero chance that any of us could hate you."

Steve could see the moisture in Danny's eyes, and knew that he needed some alone time with Grace, so he carefully stood up, bent down and kissed her forehead. While he was leaning in for a gentle hug, he whispered, "Gracie, I love you. Don't ever forget that, okay?"

He felt her lightly squeeze his arm in reply, so he stood back up. "Listen, kiddo. I'm going to go and call Kamekona and see about getting you a shave ice – I'm thinking maybe grape?" He was pleased to see her nod at the suggestion.

"While I'm gone, though, I want you to listen to your dad, okay? He's a pretty smart guy, sometimes." He saw Danny roll his eyes, and stifled his own grin. "But I know for a fact, that he's totally right, this time. Okay?"

Grace nodded and wiped her eyes. Danny reached his hand across the bed to shake Steve's – he knew that Steve would understand that while he would gladly give him a thankful hug, he didn't want to disturb the cocoon that he and his daughter were now ensconced in.

After Steve left the room, Danny carefully shifted so that he was on his side, facing his daughter. They were nearly nose to nose, sharing a pillow, but that was just fine with both of them.

"Grace…Monkey…I love you so much. You know that, right?"

She nodded and wiped at her eyes; pausing as Danny reached out and thumbed the tears away.

"You have to know how incredibly proud of you I am. You went through something awful because of my job – a man was mad at me and decided that he wanted to find the one person I loved most and hurt them, just so I would be sad. And you know what? It worked. Grace, I hate that this happened to you. I hate it so much. But no matter what you say…no matter how you feel…there is no way that I could ever be mad at you for anything related to this. Okay?"

Grace nodded and swallowed hard. "But Danno…I don't _want_ to be scared any more. I don't _want_ to be sad all the time. I don't want to feel yucky any more. And I'm afraid…" She looked at him, unsure whether he really meant what he had said.

But Danny's kind eyes were the only thing staring back at her, so she continued. "What if I don't get better? I'm scared that I'm always going to feel like this."

Danny shifted so that he could carefully tuck Grace up against his chest. "Aww, baby, no. I promise you. You don't have to be scared any more, okay? Uncle Chin and Auntie Kono are working really hard to find the guy who did this to you – we know he's not in Hawaii, so it's a little harder, but they've been talking to people who know where he is. It should only be a little while longer, okay? As for being sad, you know that's okay, right? I'm sad right now, too. Uncle Steve is as well. Do you know why?"

He felt Grace shake her head against his chest. "Because someone hurt you. Whenever anyone hurts you, it hurts me, too. That's what happens when you love someone as much as I love you. So because this man tried to hurt you, it makes me so very sad, and mad, too - at the man, not at you, though. I know that they have special people who are good listeners for people who are feeling like we are – I was even thinking about maybe talking to one of them. Would you think about talking to him or her with me?"

Grace bit her lip again. "Would I have to talk to them by myself?"

Danny kissed the top of her head. "No, baby. We could talk to that person together, if you wanted to. Does that sound at least a little okay?"

Grace took a few moments to sort her thoughts out in her head before finally nodding. "Danno?"

He gently tightened his hold on his daughter, embracing the comforting feel of holding her again. "Yeah, Monkey?"

"What about Uncle Steve? Does he have anybody to listen to him? I think he was sad earlier – he thought I was asleep, but I felt him crying. I thought he might be mad at me, but maybe he was just sad, like we are? We need to find him a good listener, too."

Danny could no longer blink back his tears – the capacity to love that Grace showed was astounding. "I think that he would love that you are looking out for him, too. The truth is, Uncle Steve is sad, baby. He doesn't like that you got hurt either. I think he might be extra worried because when he found you, you were pretty sick – you're so much better now – but when he first found you, he was scared that he didn't find you fast enough."

Grace looked up at him, her eyes wide. "Uncle Steve was scared? I didn't think he was afraid of anything." She noticed his own tears, and in a mirror image of before, she chased the tears away with the tip of her fingers.

Danny smiled, his eyes wet. "Yeah, well I think he likes to pretend that he's never scared. The truth is, though? If something happened to you, even Super SEAL would be afraid."

Grace was starting to fade; the emotions of her conversation were weighing heavily on her heart. On one hand, it was freeing to be able to say what was on her mind. On the other hand, it was almost too much…she was afraid now that she cried a little bit, she wouldn't be able to stop if it happened again. She was trying to stop a flood with a tissue – it was soon going to be too much to handle. Without warning, a thought came out of her mouth, and she was unable to stop it. "I hate him."

Danny wasn't sure that he heard her, so he leaned a little closer. "What's that?"

He felt her take a shuddering breath and let it out slowly. As she spoke, her voice increased in volume. "I'm sorry, Danno. I know that you said we shouldn't hate anybody, but I do. I hate the man who did this. It's not fair. He hurt me. He made you sad. He made Uncle Steve scared. I. Hate. Him!"

Danny just gathered her close as another large chunk of her fear and worry came pouring out with her sobbing. Ami noticed the monitor going off, and came in to check. She motioned to Danny that she could get Grace something to help calm down if she needed it, and nodded her agreement as Danny shook his head in the negative. He really wanted to give her a chance to purge a few of the demons that had plagued her. He really thought it would help her in the long run.

Ami just whispered for him to be careful of her IV and catheter, turned down the volume on the monitor, and handed him the tissue box before she quietly left the room. Danny knew to call if he needed help, and he would. But right now, holding his daughter while tears streamed down both of their faces, he was exactly where he needed to be...and was exactly where his daughter needed him to be.

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	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Sorry this is a bit later than I wanted for the Saturday update. I've had a migraine from hell for the past two days, and then tonight, my A/C (non battery) smoke detector decided that it would go off. I managed to get the cover off without electrocuting myself and at least get the volume down some, but I think it has a short in the system. So I get to deal with that until I can get an electrician to come out and see what the heck is going on.**

**Thank you again for the follows and alerts, and for those who take the time to review. It really makes my day to read what you thought.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything - especially a working smoke detector.**

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It didn't take Kamekona very long to bring his favorite taste tester her shave ice – he made Steve promise to tell her that he was creating a new flavor just for her. As soon as she was feeling better, she had an invitation to come to his stand, and decide what combination of flavors worked best. He had plans to name it after Grace as well – he couldn't help but have a soft spot for his pint-sized assistant.

Steve thanked him with a clap on the shoulder, and a promise of a larger order for the whole pediatric wing, once Grace was on her way home. It was a way to say thanks to the staff for taking care of not only his niece, but his entire ohana; and a hopeful reminder of happiness for the patients on the floor.

He stalled on his way back to Grace's room, wanting to give Danny all the time that he needed with Grace. While he was in the PICU family waiting room – still keeping Grace's room in his sights – he ran into Dr. Mitchell, who came over and sat down.

"Hello, Commander. How are you doing?"

Steve reached out and shook her hand. "I'm doing as well as I can. I'll be much better once Grace is out of here – no offense, Doc."

She smiled a wide grin. "None taken. I would feel the same way if I were you." Knowing that he was authorized to receive information regarding Grace's care, she looked down at the chart she was holding before meeting his curious gaze.

"Grace is holding her own, which we like to see. I'm still concerned that she's not eating, and is barely drinking anything by mouth. I'm not entirely comfortable sending her to the regular floor until her intake is higher. I was on my way to see her, and let Detective Williams know that I wanted to keep her one more night in the PICU, and if we can entice her to at least drink something, then move her to the regular ward in the morning, sometime."

Steve nodded. "She hasn't really seemed to want anything, although she did perk up a little bit at the thought of a shave ice, so I had one brought in for her. A friend of ours owns a stand, so he was more than happy to deliver for Grace."

Dr. Mitchell nodded. "It's so wonderful to see the amount of support that Grace has – it's going to go a long way to helping her recover."

Steve cleared his throat softly. "Well, she's pretty special to all of us – there's nothing we wouldn't do to help her get through this."

The gray-haired woman contemplated her next words, before taking a deep breath. "I've asked for a consult with one of our Child and Family psychiatrists. Grace's nurse has noted that she has had a couple of nightmares as a result of what's happened. Now I don't think it's anything drastically serious, but I am concerned that she may be suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder – and given what happened to her, I'm not at all surprised."

Steve looked stricken for a moment. It wasn't that he was necessarily stunned by what she had to say; but rather the idea of Grace being diagnosed with something that was typically associated with combat veterans threw him for a loop. Now he knew that anybody could be diagnosed with PTSD, depending on what type of traumatic event happened to them, but his own background was military, so that was where his mind immediately went. He personally knew members of SEAL teams who lived – and he used that term loosely – with PTSD every day of their lives, and were shells of the men that he served with.

Dr. Mitchell had a pretty good idea of where his head went, so she reached out and squeezed his arm. "Commander…Steve…please don't go there. I imagine I know what you may be thinking, and I want to assure you that this is not a life sentence for Grace. I fully believe that with a bit of guidance, a safe place – and permission – to get mad, and some skills to help her respond to potential anxious situations, she will be fine. What happened to her was a shock, but PTSD in children is vastly different than PTSD with adults – the military especially."

Steve sat back, his face pale. He truly thought he may be sick at the thought that Danny's little girl – who was as happy as happy could be – could potentially have this cloud hanging over her.

Dr. Mitchell could see the wheels turning, and placed her other hand gently on his shoulder. "Steve, it's going to be okay. Grace is a very lucky little young lady. She has a family who loves her, and an ohana that would do anything for her. She is not alone in this. Kids who typically struggle with this diagnosis – this _temporary_ diagnosis - are kids who are afraid to talk to their family; who shut people out; and who do not have a good support system. Now, do any of those apply to Grace?"

Steve shook his head mutely.

"So that tells me that this is just a speed bump. It's doubtful that this is a permanent situation that will require long-term treatment. Kids are resilient. Please try to remember that, okay? She may look to you and to her father for guidance, as she sees that you are both very strong mentally. She may wonder whether _how_ she is getting through this is the right way. Just reassure her that there is no 'official' right way to deal with everything – but as long as she tries to keep talking to the people who love her, that she will be okay."

Steve blew out a breath. This whole situation sucked. There was no other way around it. He would gladly take this from her and Danny if he could – and he hated that he couldn't. That's what made this so much worse for him – he couldn't really do anything to fix this for her.

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Danny wondered what was taking Steve so long to return. Grace wasn't really sleeping, but was comfortably relaxed against her father. He kept playing with her hair, knowing that it was something that she had always loved.

Ami had come in and asked what Grace might like for lunch. She had no restrictions, and could order anything off of the dietary menu, but Grace declined. She just wasn't hungry, and nothing sounded good.

Danny hoped that she would at least have some of the shave ice, because if she didn't, he was liable to start to ramp up to panic mode over his daughter's lack of interest in pretty much everything. He knew that it was normal, the way she was acting - Dr. Mitchell had reminded him of that when she came to let him know of her decision to keep Grace in the PICU for one more night. But it still hurt him tremendously to have a front row seat, watching her, practically a shell of herself.

Every so often, Grace would shiver, and Danny wondered whether it was a reaction to the slight chill in the room, or a reaction to everything that had happened. He didn't have too much time to dwell on things, as Steve poked his head into the room.

Danny could see that Steve was upset – his face was tense and anxious. Before he could ask him about it though, Danny watched as Steve schooled his features and replaced the worry with a smile for Grace. The SEAL pulled back the sheets of the 'fort', for now; so that they could all have better access to Grace. He didn't take the sheets away entirely, though, - there was no way of knowing when Grace might need that safety net again.

"Hey, Gracie. Kamekona brought a shave ice for you. He also said to tell you that when you feel better, he wants you to come down to the truck. He said that you get to invent a new flavor of shave ice, and he's even going to name it after you. Isn't that cool?"

Danny and Steve were beyond thrilled to see a brief flash of excitement in Grace's eyes. She nodded, and said, "Can I, Danno?"

Danny kissed the side of her head. "Of course you can, Monkey. Just as soon as you're feeling up to it, okay?" He helped her sit up against the pillows, mindful of her IV and catheter.

With a flourish, Steve placed the small cup of shave ice on the table, and handed her a straw with a spoon at the end of it.

She slowly picked at the treat, but Danny didn't make a big deal out of it. She was at least eating some, even if it didn't seem enough to keep a bird alive. It was the first thing that she hadn't outright refused, so even though it was a small victory, he would take it.

After about five minutes of idle small talk between Danny and Steve, there was a light knock on the door frame. Grace immediately set the straw down, and Steve could see her heart rate start to inch its way up.

A young woman poked her head into the room, but stayed at a safe distance, so that Grace would not have to worry. "Detective Williams? I'm Dr. Teleia. Do you mind if I talk to you for a minute? We'll just be outside the door, if that's okay with Grace."

Steve had a feeling that this was the psychiatrist that Dr. Mitchell had consulted with. Danny shared a look with Grace, and made sure that she knew the decision was hers. He wanted to try to give her opportunities to gain back some of the control she had lost.

After a few moments, she nodded before looking to Steve. He winked at her, signaling that he would not leave her side, for as long as she needed him there.

He stood to help Danny maneuver his way out of the bed before taking his vacated place. Slowly, Steve noticed that Grace's heart rate had started to return to normal, and she even reached for the straw, taking a few more tiny bites of the shave ice.

Danny turned to face the new doctor, all the while, keeping one eye on his daughter. The petite blonde was a bit shorter than Danny, but had a presence about her that made her seem larger than life.

She smiled and held out her hand. "Detective? It's nice to meet you. I'm Dr. Jane Teleia. I'm a child and adolescent psychiatrist, although I do treat families as well. Dr. Mitchell has asked me to consult on Grace's case, if you are amenable to that."

Danny leaned back against the wall and shut his eyes. '_Hell no, he was not amenable to his daughter needing a psychiatrist after what that asshole Murdock had done.' _He supposed he ought to not say that out loud, so he plastered what he hoped was a passable smile onto his face and turned back to the doctor. "What are you thinking is the best way to help her? I'll admit it – I hate that she even needs to see you in the first place. But regardless of what I think, the most important thing in the world to me is lying in that bed, so if you think you can help her, then I will agree."

Dr. Teleia smiled softly. "Detective Williams, I get it. I truly do. And in looking through Grace's chart, I'm pretty comfortable in saying that she should come through this just fine. I'd like to talk to her, but I want to make sure you are with her. She's likely to feel much more comfortable with you there, and it's certainly not my goal to make her uncomfortable."

Danny nodded. "I'd like to explain it to her first, though. Grace knows that I'm always honest with her."

Dr. Teleia nodded. "That's perfect, actually. That will give me time to go and get my assistant. Don't worry, Detective. He is very attuned to what children need. I think he gets better results than I do."

Danny looked skeptical, but finally agreed. "Oh, and it's Danny. Detective is pretty formal at this point."

Dr. Teleia grinned as she headed towards the elevators. "See you in a few minutes, Danny."

Danny blew out a breath and tried to calm his nerves, before moving back into the room.

As he moved towards the bed, he couldn't help but grin as he noticed Steve trying to look at his tongue – ostensibly to see if it was purple, although he couldn't be sure. What he was sure of, though, was the big smile that Grace had on her face as she watched her Uncle Steve. And if he didn't know any better, he'd guess that Steve was doing whatever he could think of to get Grace to smile.

"So Grace. Remember when I said that there were people who were good listeners for when we are sad? Well, Dr. Teleia is one of those people. She wants to come and meet us, but had to go to her office first. Would it be okay if she came in and talked to us?"

Steve didn't miss Danny's inclusion of himself, and was glad that he was willing to hash out some of his own feelings as well.

Grace looked unsure, and glanced back and forth between the two adults. "What if…"

Danny sat back on the edge of the bed. "What if, what, Monkey?"

Grace bit her bottom lip again. "What if she's mean?"

Danny shook his head, and reached for Grace's hand. "Well, I can assure you that she's not the least bit mean. Her job is to help kids and families figure things out when stuff is all jumbled up in their head, like I'm pretty sure we're all dealing with. She's really nice, and only wants to help you get better. But it's up to you, baby. If you don't want to talk to her, you don't have to."

Danny knew that he was taking a risk – he realized that Grace needed help, but at this point, he would let her try to guide her healing.

Grace's eyebrows were pinched together in thought, before finally looking up at her dad. "Okay, Danno. I'll try."

There was a light knock on the door, and Dr. Teleia again took her place just inside the doorway. "Is it okay for us to come in?"

Grace looked a little hesitant – Danno hadn't mentioned an _'us'_. Danny and Steve both smiled, as they could see just who her assistant was, but Grace didn't have that same vantage point.

"Come on in, Doc."

Dr. Teleia entered the room, followed by the most beautiful Golden Retriever Grace had ever seen. She immediately perked up just a bit. "Hi everyone. This is my assistant, Riley. Riley is a therapy dog, and has this crazy ability to just love on people who are struggling with some yucky things that have happened to them. See, he didn't have a very good life when he was a puppy, but thankfully, some people were able to save him and make him better. Now, he lives and works with me, helping me help kids feel better. So Grace, would it be okay if Riley hung out on your bed with you while we all talked?"

Grace looked around the room, before her eyes settled on Steve. She could tell he was getting ready to leave, thinking he needed to give them time alone, but she had an idea. "Uncle Steve? Would you stay, too? I know you were sad earlier, so maybe Riley could help you feel better, too. Please?"

Dr. Teleia took that as her first opportunity to talk to Grace, as she motioned for Riley to hop up onto the foot of the bed. "Grace, why do you think your Uncle Steve was sad?"

Grace immediately held one hand out for Riley to sniff, and smiled as he gently flopped over onto his side for a belly rub. Keeping her eyes on the dog, she whispered, "I know he was sad because he found me – and I was sick. I think I scared him – but not on purpose – but I think it was scary for him when he found me." She lightly began to stroke Riley's fur, and tried not to give in to the anxious feelings that were bubbling at the surface.

Grace's thoughts were a bit disjointed, but seeing how she was at least trying to open up to the psychologist, Steve simply pulled a chair up on the other side of Grace's bed and reached for her hand. As she began the task of sorting out her feelings, Steve was once again amazed at the strength of Danny's daughter.

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	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Thank you for the new alerts and favorites. I really appreciate it. I've also had some really nice reviews that let me know specific things within the chapter that you enjoyed - it seems that Riley already has a few fans, so that's good. =)**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything (except a new smoke detector that works) - no copyright infringement intended.**

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As Grace started talking – just random snippets at first – Danny could see that her anxiety level was starting to climb. He tossed a pained look at Dr. Teleia, but she subtly shook her head. She could see what was happening, and wanted to try to give Grace some tools to calm herself down.

"Grace? I can see that talking about what happened is making you a little bit nervous, and that's okay. One of my jobs, though, is to try to help you sort through what is bothering you, and give you some things to try so that those feelings don't overwhelm you. So what I want you to do right now is close your eyes. Can you do that?"

Grace looked around the room, and saw nothing but reassurance. She even felt Riley's nose nudge her hand, as if he was telling her it would all be okay. Finally, she shut her eyes, but kept one hand clenched into the fur on the scruff of Riley's neck.

"Good. Now what I want you to try to do, is pretend that you have a balloon in your belly. When you breathe in, try to blow the balloon up, keeping it in your belly – sometimes those pretend balloons like to fly up into your shoulders, but that's not where it belongs. Once you have it blown up, then try to let the air back out – as slow as you blew it in. I want you to try to do that five times, and when you're done, go ahead and open up your eyes again."

They all watched as she did as she was told. They could see on the monitor that slowing her breathing down was slowing her heart rate down as well. After she had done five, she slowly opened her eyes and looked around.

Dr. Teleia smiled kindly at her. "That was really good, Grace. How do you think you feel, now?"

Grace shrugged one shoulder. "Maybe a little bit better? I don't feel as jumpy."

Dr. Teleia nodded. "And that's what we hoped would happen. We call that 'belly breathing' – and now that you are pretty good at it, I want you to try to do that whenever you start feeling jumpy. That will help those feelings go away, and you can use it any time you need to, okay?"

Grace nodded, a bit relieved. Meeting with Dr. Teleia wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. She turned to Steve, who was sitting next to her. "Uncle Steve? I'm really sorry I scared you. I didn't mean to." Her eyes were damp – the adults around her could see that she was carrying the weight of the world on her tiny shoulders, and none of them wanted that for her.

"Gracie, no…I know you didn't mean to. There is nothing about what happened to you that is your fault. I know we've told you that before, but I'm not sure you believe us. Yeah, I was really sad when I found you – but along with being sad because you were so sick, I was sad that I didn't find you faster. If I had found you faster, maybe things wouldn't have been as bad." Steve squeezed her hand, hoping she really absorbed the fact that she wasn't at fault.

Dr. Teleia turned to face Steve. "Now, Steve, I'm sure that in your head, you know that you did everything you could to find Grace. There was really nothing you could have done differently, was there?" She waited while he sorted through his thoughts, and eventually came to the same conclusion. "But given where you are right now – tired, distressed, a bit on edge – naturally your heart feels differently than your head. But like I said – if you really sort out what is going on, you'll hopefully come to the same conclusion that everyone else in this room as already reached. You did everything that you could."

Grace shifted so that she was sitting up a little further, and Danny helped her the rest of the way. Once she was situated, she reached out and wrapped her arms around Steve's neck. "Thank you for saving my life, Uncle Steve. I love you."

Steve swallowed the lump that threatened to block his airway and nodded against her shoulder. He felt her tears on his shirt, and answered with his own on the shoulder of her gown. "You're welcome, Gracie. You're welcome."

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Dr. Teleia didn't stay too much longer, as she didn't want to stress Grace out more than she already was. While Grace was saying goodbye to Riley, she pulled Danny and Steve over to the side of the room, out of Grace's earshot.

"So. That wasn't so bad, was it?" She had a bit of a smirk at the two men, although she was all business where Grace was concerned. "I'm not sure how much longer Grace will be a patient here, but I would like to see her again at least once – preferably twice, if we can make it work."

Danny looked over at his daughter. "Dr. Mitchell is a little concerned at how little she's eating and drinking, so she's going to keep her in the PICU for tonight, and then maybe onto the Peds floor in the morning."

Dr. Teleia nodded. "That's actually a symptom of the PTSD, believe it or not. It's not unusual for patients to have a marked lack of appetite, and to complain of stomachaches and headaches as well. Hopefully as we get her to work through a few of her anxieties, she'll start to feel more like her old self, and you'll start to see a rapid turnaround."

Danny looked a little nervous as he turned back to face the doctor. "So…what do you think about Grace? Do you think she's going to be okay?"

Dr. Teleia placed a hand on his shoulder, while Steve gently squeezed his arm. "Danny, relax. I definitely think she's going to be okay. Not only are kids very resilient, but I'm not seeing any major red flags in any of the interactions I've had with Grace. I do get the sense that she's hiding quite a bit down deep, though, but once I can get her to let go of a lot of that, she's going to feel much more secure with everything. I will also make sure that she has some coping mechanisms to get her through any other issues that manifest themselves."

She glanced back at Grace, who was smiling as she stroked Riley's fur – heck, Riley looked like he was smiling as well. "She's got a good support system, to say the least. Things may be a little bumpy for her the first time we really meet – I feel like she's almost afraid to let go? Maybe she's concerned about what you'll think?"

Steve glanced at Danny, remembering his conversation with Grace in the fort, and suddenly things made a whole lot more sense. "She did share with me that she was worried we'd be mad at her for not being brave enough."

Dr. Teleia nodded. "That makes sense, then. My goal then, is to get her to realize just how brave she was by simply surviving what happened to her. Now I'll warn you – she may get angry. She may cry and scream. Or she may simply close herself off, internalize things, and then move forward. There's no way of knowing, just yet. I plan on bringing Riley with me – as I said earlier, he gets better results than I do sometimes. I find that he's a very calming presence for kids who get upset – he's the most mellow temperament, especially when the children need him."

Danny let out a deep breath. "Grace has always tried to keep the peace, so to speak. Her mother and I did not have the easiest divorce, although things are certainly better than they used to be. But Grace never liked when anyone was upset – it's her nature to want everyone to be okay." He wiped an errant tear from his eye, feeling like somehow, he and Rachel's actions had managed to fuck up their daughter.

Dr. Teleia stepped back and gathered her things. "And Danny, I promise you, she will be okay. She is _not_ broken right now – she's just a bit bruised, so to speak."

Steve chuckled at that, as he watched the doctor move to say goodbye to Grace, while gathering Riley's leash. He noticed that Grace merely nodded when Dr. Teleia told her that she would see her again later – maybe the doc was right – maybe kids were more resilient than they gave them credit for?

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Later that afternoon, Grace was pleased to see Kono and Chin poke their heads through the doorway. "Hey there, kiddo. Are you up for some company?" Chin moved quietly to Grace's side and hugged her carefully, while Kono detoured to greet Danny and Steve.

Grace nodded, her face still a bit pale.

Kono grabbed a spare chair and moved it towards the side of the bed. "So…I know that Chin put _The Princess Bride_ on the tablet – do you feel like watching a movie for a while?"

While Grace was talking chick-flicks with Kono, Chin headed for his other two coworkers. "Okay. Kono's got Grace entertained for a little while. What about the two of you? What do you need?"

Steve started to shake Chin off, but Danny held up one hand. "Steve...please don't say you're fine. Just…don't. _I'm_ going to take advantage of our friends' generosity, and am going to see if I can't get some waterproof dressings for my shoulder, and am going to take a shower. You, my friend, need to get out of here for a little while – go for a swim, or go for a run – something. You are so keyed up, I can see you vibrating from across the room."

Steve was ready to argue, but Danny kept going until he got through to him. "Please, Steve? You've taken care of everyone else this whole time – and I can't stress to you enough how much Gracie and I appreciate that – but you need a couple of hours for you, too."

Steve hung his head, exhausted. Danny was right. He _knew_ Danny was right. But he was having such a hard time standing down – he knew it was a combination of things – shock, his own mild PTSD after finding Grace nearly dead, exhaustion. So against his better judgment, he nodded.

"Okay, Danny. I'll go. Just for a couple of hours, though okay?"

Danny was dismayed to see that Steve's face looked like he had just lost his best friend, and his heart broke for him – he probably felt like he was being sent to slaughter. "Babe, this is a good thing for you – I promise. I'm not going to be able to do too much for the first couple of days that Grace is home – I was hoping maybe we could crash at your house? But I need to know that you're okay, too. I know you barely sleep – you keep one eye on me, and one on my daughter. That doesn't leave too many eyes closed and sleeping, you know."

Grace had gotten quiet while Danny was talking, and the more she listened, the more she was trying to keep the tears from falling.

"Um, guys?" Kono gestured towards Grace with a nod of her head.

"Aw, shit. Monkey, what's wrong?" Danny hurried to her side.

Through her tears, she gave him a slight glare. "Quarter, Danno."

Danny looked chagrined, while Steve couldn't help but grin as he moved to her bed. "Gracie, are you okay? What's wrong?"

Grace turned to where Steve had sat down. "Uncle Steve? I don't want you to get sick. I know you take good care of me and Danno, but I want you to promise to take care of you, too. I have Danno, and Auntie Kono, and Uncle Chin with me – but you could borrow one of them if you wanted someone to be with you, too."

Steve's eyes softened as he looked down at the young girl who had captured his heart. "I'll be okay, Gracie. I promise. I'm only going to go for a little bit – maybe go for a swim or a run. Then I'll come right back."

Grace furrowed her eyebrows. "Go for a run, Uncle Steve. You'll feel better."

Steve wasn't sure what that look was for, but leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "And when I get done, I'll bring some dinner back for everyone. Is there anything that sounds good?"

Grace shook her head. "I'm not hungry. My tummy kind of hurts."

Danny hated that his daughter was refusing food and started to go into anxious mode, but Chin's hand on his arm kept him quiet.

"That's okay, Gracie. If anything sounds good, you let us know, okay?"

She nodded and reached her arms up for a hug, which Steve willingly gave to her. "Two hours, tops, munchkin. I'll be back, I promise."

He stood up and made sure he had his keys and his wallet. Looking back at his ohana gathered in the room, he reluctantly left, praying that everything would be okay while he was gone.

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The rest of the afternoon passed without issue. Kono and Grace shared the bed and immersed themselves in the adventures of Wesley and Buttercup. Grace wasn't very exuberant, instead preferring to just stay curled up next to her Auntie.

Danny had managed a quick shower, and Chin had reluctantly gotten him to stretch out in the sleep chair for a while after that. Before Danny fell asleep, though, Chin shared with him that he had arranged for Grace to Skype with Rachel once she was on the regular pediatric floor. He had e-mailed Rachel, wanting to make sure her computer was equipped, and finding out that her laptop was, all Danny had to do was text Rachel first, and then make the call.

Rachel was appreciative – and was very much in need of something positive. Her mother was not well at all – they had called in Hospice services, and were saying it could be a matter of hours or days. They just weren't sure. Seeing her daughter would go a long way to lifting her spirits as she dealt with the last days of her mother's life.

Danny nodded his agreement with Chin's plan. He would make sure that he also talked to Rachel and shared his condolences – they may not be a couple any longer, but Danny would never wish her to lose a parent. Her mother was really the last of that side of Rachel's family – she had no siblings, and her father had passed away when she was in her teens.

Settled in the fact that there was nothing else he could do right at this moment, Danny got as comfortable as he could and shut his eyes. He felt someone – he assumed Chin – drape a warm blanket over him, and secure with the knowledge that his ohana was watching Grace, he drifted into a light doze.

Almost exactly two hours after he had left, Steve returned to Grace's room and smiled as he caught sight of the occupants. Grace was sleeping, with Kono absentmindedly playing with her hair. Danny was still dozing, although he didn't look completely sacked out. Chin had his eyes closed, but Steve knew that he wasn't asleep.

By the time Steve put the bags of sandwiches on the shelf above the sink, everyone but Grace had come fully awake.

Danny immediately noticed that Steve's eyes looked a little more focused, although there was still tiredness. If he knew his partner, he figured that he had probably run until he ran out of steam, and then probably pushed himself to run back. At least he had managed a little time for himself, even if it wasn't restful in the least.

Chin felt the vibration of his phone on his hip, and sat up so that he could read the screen. Steve could see the change in his expression, and immediately moved closer.

Chin looked first at Danny, and then over at Steve. He had never been more glad to deliver news in his life. "That was from a Detective D'Angelo, from Newark?" He looked back to Danny to see whether he recognized the name, and nodded as Danny definitely knew who he was talking about.

"Dominic? Wow…I haven't talked to him in a while. Why is he contacting you?"

Steve realized that Danny was still a little fuzzy on most things case related, so he tried to fill him in. "Once we realized that taking Grace was retaliation for one of your old cases, we contacted Newark and filled them in. They were understandably angry at everything that happened to both you _and_ Grace, and offered to help however they could. We've had them canvassing Murdock's old haunts, trying to get a lead on where he was hiding out."

Danny nodded. "You told me some of this before, didn't you? I think I remember pieces of that conversation, but not the whole thing."

Chin grinned. "The wonders of modern medicine, my friend. Anyway, the text from D'Angelo was telling me that they found Murdock, and he is now on his way back to prison. His text said that he had more information, but to wait and call him tomorrow. He just wanted you to know that they had the bastard, and he's not going anywhere again."

Everyone felt a sense of relief at that news, and Kono couldn't contain her giggle as Grace's sleep-roughened voice called out, "Quarter, Uncle Chin."

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	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Thanks for reading, and for the follows and alerts. Especially, thanks for taking a minute to review - it really does make my day. =)**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything related to Hawaii Five-0, or CBS. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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While Grace didn't really eat much for dinner, the adults quietly chatted as they ate the sandwiches that Steve had picked up.

Nalani was back on shift, and had happily requested Grace as a patient. They all relaxed as she commented on just how much better Grace looked, even compared to the previous night. She could see that Grace wasn't the least bit hungry, but encouraged her to at least drink, and talked her into having as much of a strawberry smoothie as she could tolerate.

Danny liked that Nalani didn't 'scold' Grace, but kept reassuring her that once she was feeling better, her appetite would return. With the IV still in place, there was no issue with hydration, but the more Grace could at least drink, the sooner it could come out.

She did have good news for Grace and Danny, though – Dr. Mitchell had finally authorized removing the catheter. Grace couldn't decide if she wanted Danny to hold her hand while Nalani did her job, or whether she was too embarrassed to have him that close – she was growing up, after all.

Danny created the perfect compromise. After Steve, Kono, and Chin stepped out into the hallway, Danny pulled the curtain, sat in a chair with his back to Grace's bed, and reached behind him to hold her hand.

Nalani kept up enough mindless chatter to distract Grace, and before too long, everything was taken care of. She went over the care plan, now that Grace wouldn't have the constant monitoring of her urine output, again stressing the importance of drinking enough. The last thing any of them wanted was to have to put the catheter back in.

Once she was finished, she asked Grace if she'd like to take a shower and wash her hair. She even offered to French braid it when she was finished, knowing that cleaning up would go a long way towards helping her feel better. She promised to give her privacy, but would help wash her hair since doing so with her IV might prove difficult.

She gathered the needed supplies, and set them in the small bathroom. Nalani knew that Grace was due for a new IV bag, so once she disconnected the old one, she allowed Grace to throw it into the garbage can – a symbol of hopefully soon, being able to throw the entire set-up into the trash. As she was covering Grace's IV, Danny motioned for Steve, Kono, and Chin to come back into the room.

Danny helped Grace climb down from the bed, relishing the feel of her arms around his neck as she wrapped him up in a tight hug. He reassured Grace that they would all be there when she came back out. She smiled tightly as she followed Nalani into the bathroom – it was obvious that she was slightly stressed at being out of Danny's sight, but everyone knew that was to be expected. He would try to remember to bring it up to Dr. Teleia when she saw Grace next, but he kept remembering her reassurances that there would be ups and downs – and that all in all, Grace was doing well.

While Grace was in the shower, the Five-0 team sat in chairs and on the edge of the bed, to try to plan out their next move where Murdock was concerned. Chin had asked for copies of the booking file to be sent to their servers, along with any other relevant information that would help them with their case.

After viewing his medical records, however, it became apparent that Murdock would not be able to be extradited to Hawaii to face charges. He was currently housed in the prison infirmary, and according to the information on file, was in the end stages of pancreatic cancer.

Obviously, none of them were willing to fly to New Jersey to interrogate him. After a few minutes of bouncing ideas back and forth, it was Danny who came up with a passable solution, although it would not be the ultimate experience of putting his fist into Murdock's face.

"Chin? You set up a Skype session with Rachel. What about arranging something similar in Newark? Murdock can have his lawyer present – I'm guessing that full means and immunity probably doesn't apply to my former coworkers. I worked a case once where the judge allowed a Skype session as admissible evidence – if we check with the judge here and he gives the okay, let's get it going."

Chin nodded as Danny turned to face Steve, assuming that his friend would try to stop him. "Steve, I have to do this. He fucking took my daughter from me – he fucking tried to kill her! She's just a child, Steve…my baby! What kind of asshole does that? I mean it – to take a child away with the full intent to just leave her alone in the fucking ocean? He may not give a shit, but I'm going to face him, one way or another."

Steve hadn't said a word, knowing that Danny needed to get that out. When he thought he might be calming down, Steve placed a hand on Danny's trembling form. "Relax, Danny. I wasn't going to try to stop you. I agree – this guy is worse than an animal. It's just that…the water just shut off, and Grace will be out soon. I wanted to give you a minute to get your bearings; so that Grace doesn't see you blow a gasket in the middle of her room."

Steve's words were teasing, and only meant to lighten the mood, and for that, Danny was grateful. Yeah, he was pissed – and rightfully so – but the last thing he wanted was to have Grace see him so upset. "Thanks, man. I'm going to go see if I can get some chocolate milk or juice for Grace – I'll be right back." He headed for the door, calmer than he was a few moments ago.

While he was in the small kitchenette, Grace came back out with Nalani. As soon as she saw Danny gone, she nervously bit her lip as she looked around the room.

Steve hurried over and knelt down beside the wary little girl. "Hey, Gracie! You're all squeaky clean. Danny went to go see about some chocolate milk. He _said_ it was for you, but how much do you want to bet that he's getting it for himself, huh?"

"Really, Steve? Betting with my daughter? Any other corrupt skills you want to teach her?" Danny smiled as he stood in the doorway and overheard Steve trying to reassure Grace.

They could all see her visibly exhale as she caught sight of Danny once again. He had a couple of containers of chocolate milk, along with a juice tucked in his grasp. He carefully set them down on the table, contorting his one good arm and trying not to drop anything before bending down to hug his daughter.

"Hey, Monkey. You okay?" He could feel the tension in her shoulders, and his heart broke at how tentative she was. It made him want to punch Randall Murdock in the nuts and anywhere else he could reach, just to make up for the fear he had instilled in Grace.

She nodded against his shoulder, and whispered one word. "_Now." _He breathed in the sweet smell of her freshly shampooed hair and just tightened his embrace for a few seconds. He could tell that she was flagging, so he reluctantly straightened up and steered her towards the bed.

"Now what did I hear about French braids? I'm glad that Nalani knows how to do that – if I tried it, I'd probably tie your hair in a bunch of knots." He gave her his good arm to hold on to as she climbed up on her bed. It was hard to do with only one arm, but she managed fairly easily.

Nalani had found some pants to go along with the pediatric gown, so she was able to sit cross-legged in the middle of the bed while the young nurse quickly braided her hair.

Kono quickly grabbed her phone and set it to video, wanting to record Nalani's skill for Danny to watch later. She knew that Grace would love it if her dad learned to braid like that, and if she knew Danny, he would practice until he got it right. There really wasn't anything he wouldn't do for his daughter.

Nalani finished the last braid and snapped the hair tie on with a flourish. "All right, Miss Grace. There you go. Beautiful French braids for a beautiful girl. Now. I need you to be straight with me and tell me if you're having any pain anywhere."

Grace dropped her eyes and eventually nodded. She hadn't wanted to call attention to it, but her head hurt and her stomach was starting to get upset again.

"Aww, Monkey. Why didn't you say something?" Danny moved to sit next to her, tucking her underneath his arm.

"I didn't want to…I was afraid that…I don't know…"

Nalani held up her hand to stop Danny's impending nervousness and pulled a chair up so that she was facing Grace. "Grace, can you look at me, please?"

Reluctantly, Grace raised her tear-filled eyes and stared at Nalani.

"I want to ask you something, and I want you to be honest, okay?" After Grace nodded, she rested her elbows on her knees, putting her closer to where Grace had adopted the same position. "Did you think that if you said that anything hurt, that you wouldn't get to go to the regular floor, or even go home in a few days?"

Grace shrugged – she really wasn't sure why she hadn't said anything. But in her mind, it made sense. If she didn't complain, then they would think she was better and would get to go home sooner. She just wanted her ohana to be proud of her, and wasn't sure that would happen if she acted like a baby. It was Kono's story, though, that managed to make the most sense to Grace.

Chin stood off to the side and kept his voice low. "Hey, Grace? You know how Kono hurt her knee surfing, right? Well, when she was in the hospital, she wanted to show everyone how strong she was. She refused all of her medicine, because she thought that if she acted like she was fine, they would _think_ she was fine – and then she would get to go home."

Kono rolled her eyes in self-deprecation. "That didn't really work, though. I wasn't fooling anybody except maybe myself. The doctors told me that I would get better faster if I let the medicine work like it was supposed to. Because if I was in pain, my body could only deal with that – it couldn't work at getting me better."

Danny kissed the top of her head. "Baby, you're going to get to go home in a couple of days, even if you still hurt. We just have to make sure your fever stays gone, and that you can drink enough to not get sick like you were before. And I know that you wanted to see Riley again, right? I think you get to do that tomorrow. But Grace? Nobody is going to keep you here just because you have a headache, okay? I promise you that."

Nalani tapped Grace's knee, as she had buried her face into Danny's chest. "So, missy. Even though you are one of the bravest girls I've ever met, you don't have to be super brave right now, okay? I can get you some medicine to help with your – I'm going to guess headache – and then you can fight your dad over the chocolate milk he brought back – I heard he doesn't like to share; and then you can get some rest, all right?"

Grace blinked her remaining tears away and nodded. "I might need some help, though. Danno _really_ likes chocolate milk." She could only manage a small smile, but it was a smile, nonetheless.

Danny gently poked her in the ribs and loudly smooched her cheek. "Hey! That's not fair – I share…sort of."

Steve laughed out loud at the look on Danny's face. "No worries, munchkin. We can take him, and you can have the milk, okay?"

Nalani winked at Grace as she set an opened milk on the table and popped the straw inside. "Okay, you. I'm going to go get your medicine, and then you can finish that, okay? Remember what we talked about – you don't have to drink a lot at once, but should try to have a little bit every hour or so, when you're awake, right?"

Grace nodded and picked up the drink. She really didn't want it, but knew that she had to try.

Steve could see that she was still a bit anxious, so he thought of a plan. "Hey, Gracie? Remember the balloon in your stomach? Do you want to show Uncle Chin? I bet he would be really good at it, too – but you might have to teach him how it works."

Chin immediately perked up, wanting to be a part of Grace's recovery in whatever way he could.

Grace patted the space next to her, and while Danny moved out of the way, Chin sat down – the perfect pupil.

As Grace was patiently demonstrating her 'belly breathing' for Chin, Danny moved to Steve's side and nudged him with his good shoulder. "Nice catch. I didn't even notice that she was getting upset."

Before Danny could beat himself up, Steve nudged him back. "You were doing a better job loving on her, which was more important than anything – I wasn't sure, but just saw a glimpse of something before it left her face. I think Dr. Teleia is right – she's stuffing things way down, which can't be helping her feel better. I hope that she – and Riley – make some progress tomorrow."

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	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Thanks for your patience. This chapter went a totally different direction than what I had planned - it decided that it needed to happen now, so who am I to argue. **

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. I own nothing related to CBS or Hawaii Five-0.**

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Having Grace show Chin the deep breathing had done the trick. Not only was she more relaxed, but she was also smiling a little as Chin thanked her profusely for the tip. They observed as Chin also showed her another technique. He had her put her hands together, with only her fingertips touching one another. Starting with her thumbs and working through to her pinkies, he had her separate her fingers and bring them back together again, one at a time – as if a magnet was drawing them back to touching.

Kono grinned –she remembered Chin showing her this when she was younger. "It's not that it's a relaxation technique – but sometimes, the mere act of concentrating on only separating the ring fingers, for example, takes your mind off of whatever it is that is stressing you. And then to keep the pattern up from thumb to pinky and back to thumb – it takes a bit of concentration."

They all watched as Grace bit her bottom lip – but this time it was because she was concentrating so hard – not that she was anxious or upset. Between her deep breathing, and Chin's eye coordination game, Grace's vital signs were much more normal.

She turned to briefly smile at Danny – partly to reassure herself that he was still there, and partly because she was feeling more relaxed than she had been, and simply wanted to smile at her dad.

They laughed as Chin high-fived Grace before hugging her gently. In many ways, Chin and Grace were kindred spirits. While Grace was exuberant and full of life, there was a part of her that was an 'old soul' – and she just connected with Chin's quiet personality.

Kono glanced at the clock and knew that Grace would need to settle down for bed soon. Sneaking over to the other side of the bed, she lightly tugged on Grace's braid. Grace turned, and immediately reached out for a hug.

As Kono wrapped her arms around her young friend, she was suddenly flooded with emotions. In particular, she was hit with a sense of loss for the relatively carefree existence that was Grace's childhood. While she knew that she would recover from this, it would always now, be a part of her life story. And Kono hated that for Grace, and for their entire ohana.

Kono pulled back and placed a soft kiss on top of Grace's head, and then moved to do the same to Danny. It made Grace giggle, so Danny didn't care.

"Good night, you guys. We'll come back tomorrow. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call, okay?" Chin gave Steve and Danny the same pointed look, reminding them that they did not have to do any of this on their own.

Nodding their understanding, both men watched as Chin and Kono left for the night. On one hand, things were feeling much more positive than they had since this whole nightmare had started, but on the other hand, there was still a long way to go before any of them would feel like they were 'better'.

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Grace had settled to sleep fairly easily. She had a bit of a smoothie that Nalani had made for her, and was sipping at a water bottle that Steve got from the vending machine. It wasn't a lot, but it was a tiny step up from where she had been a few hours ago.

Danny had taken his pain medication and eventually drifted off as well. It wasn't a solid sleep, but at least he was relaxing some. He was a sprawler when he slept, so forcing himself to sleep pretty much on his back had temporarily ruined his good rest.

To the naked eye, Steve looked as if he was at least dozing, but that was far from the truth. The exhaustion that he felt was really messing with his subconscious mind. What had started out as snapshot images had morphed into a nightmare, trapping Steve firmly in its grasp.

_His heart dropped as he realized that if Grace's coordinates put her here, then she was most likely trapped inside the trunk._

_Hauling himself on board, he quickly knelt down next to the trunk. "Grace? Gracie? Are you in there? It's Uncle Steve. Can you hear me?"_

_Swearing at the silence, he hurriedly got to work trying to get the trunk open. Of course it was locked. Taking out the utility tool from his pack, Steve sat on the floor of the raft and got to work trying to pick the lock._

_He forced himself to work carefully, but quickly. He could feel the heat of the sun beating down on the steel trunk, and could only imagine what the temperature was like inside. In his haste, the steel tip slipped off of the lock and clattered to the floor of the raft. "Fuck! Come on, damn it! Come on!"_

_He wiped his face with his hands and blew out a couple of deep breaths, pushing his mind into a zone of concentration that he had had to rely on too many times in the past. He pushed to his knees and grabbed the tool again, fitting the thin steel blade into the lock mechanism._

_This time, as he maneuvered the bit into the lock, he felt the tumbling mechanism give, and the lock finally released. He tried to lift the lid, but something was still catching from the inside. He flipped the tool to the screwdriver and stood so that he could reach the back of the trunk. Mentally counting down seconds he wasn't sure he had, he efficiently removed the hinges before moving his equipment to the side._

_He blew out a breath, reached out a trembling hand, and removed the lid of the trunk. Peering down inside, all he could manage was a strangled, "No, no, no, no! Grace, NO!"_

_Grace's lifeless eyes and waxy skin stared back at him. Oh, God! He was too late! He had failed to find her in time, and she was dead, which ultimately meant he had failed his best friend._

_He had to try do something, though - he had to. He quickly lifted her from the trunk and set her down on the bottom of the raft. Realizing that she wasn't breathing and had no heartbeat, he hurriedly gave her two rescue breaths before starting a round of chest compressions. Over and over, he repeated the cycle - breathe twice, and pump her chest. Breathe twice, and pump her chest. He tried not to pay attention to the feel of Grace's tiny body shattering underneath his hands. Over and over, he begged for the second helicopter to come with more advanced lifesaving equipment, but nothing ever changed. He was on his own._

_Without warning, he felt her being pulled from him and looked down in alarm. She was being tugged by an invisible force, and was slowly slipping into the vast ocean. As he fought to grab hold of her, he looked into her eyes; stunned to see them wide-open and staring deep into his soul._

_"Why, Uncle Steve? Why didn't you find me sooner? You said you loved me. You said you'd always be there for me. You said that you would always be there for Danno, but that was a lie, wasn't it? That was a lie!"_

_By the time she had spoken her last sentence, Grace's face had morphed into one of anger, and she was screaming at him. "Liar! You never came! Liar! You never came for me! Liar!" _

_Steve sat back on his heels, stunned at her outburst. He blinked furiously, trying to make sense of what had just happened, and watched as she eventually slid all the way under the water. He stared at the dark and murky ocean that had taken the life of his best friend's daughter - a life that his own mission had successfully failed to save - a life that would be lost forever at his hands, and a soul that would haunt him forever._

"I'm sorry, Danny. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. I didn't mean to. I tried, I really did." Steve was muttering underneath his breath with increasing volume. He started tossing his head back and forth, as if to shake off the nightmare that was plaguing him.

Nalani had come into the room to check on Grace, and could see that Steve was struggling. Knowing better than to approach the SEAL, she lightly shook Danny's shoulder to wake him up.

"Danny?" Nalani whispered, keeping her voice low. "Danny, wake up."

Danny startled, but calmed as soon as he saw the young nurse. "What is it? Is Grace okay?"

Nalani nodded but pointed to where Steve was growing increasingly upset. "I'm not sure, but I think he's having a nightmare. I didn't want to just go in and wake him up - with his training, I'm sure that wouldn't be a good idea."

Danny wasn't totally surprised to see Steve having that kind of dream, given the pressure he'd been under. Who knows just what he had seen out there while he was saving Grace's life. He had been waiting for something like this to happen, to be honest.

Nalani carefully helped him stand up, and pulled the curtain halfway around Grace's bed, wanting to spare her as much noise as possible. She motioned to Danny that she would be outside if he needed anything, and left the room quietly.

Danny quietly approached where Steve was alternately clenching and releasing his fists. If Danny didn't wake him up soon, Steve was likely to come up swinging.

"Steve, wake up." Danny's voice was a little more than a whisper, but low enough to not wake Grace. "Steve? Come on, buddy. Wake up."

Steve's motions had almost increased to almost thrashing by this point. Danny didn't want him to yell out, but he also didn't want Steve's fist in his face. He tried one more time, a little bit louder.

"Super SEAL...Steve...wake up."

Steve finally launched himself up, his breaths coming in gasps. He couldn't immediately focus, so Danny stayed back for a few seconds until Steve had his bearings. Once he was convinced that Steve was starting to come back to awareness, he slid a chair over and sat down next to the recliner chair. He stayed in Steve's line of vision, but didn't try to touch him.

Steve pushed himself up from the chair, immediately pacing the edge of the room. He knew it was a dream, but he couldn't shake the image of Grace's lifeless eyes boring into his, or her screaming at him like she had.

He dug the heels of his hands against his eyes, pressing until he saw spots. Anything to erase the haunting flashes of death and horror. He was trying to slow his breathing down, but wasn't having much luck. Vaguely, he heard Danny whispering to him, but he couldn't make himself move from the spot he was rooted in.

He could tell that Danny was up and moving, but he didn't let himself take his focus off of his breathing. He was afraid that if he did, he would be ripped from the end of the proverbial rope that he was barely hanging on to. Time slowed as he heard the strangled 'whoosh' sound of his breath in his head.

Voices echoed around him, and before long, he felt Danny's arm at his elbow. "Come on, Steve. Nalani's got a few minutes to sit with Grace. We're going to go get some air." Steve let Danny guide him out into the hallway, and down to the brightly lit family room.

Danny didn't want to go too far, but knew that Steve needed to get away from whatever dreams were chasing him. Hopefully this would be far enough. "I'm not going to ask if you're okay, because obviously you're a little rattled right now. But maybe you could sit down, before you fall down? You're not looking especially steady on your feet right this minute."

Steve shook off the concern, more awake now that he was not in the darkened room. "I'm fine, Danny. I'm sorry I woke you." Although he was trying to brush off Danny's concern, he did drop heavily onto the cushioned couch.

Danny rolled his eyes as he sat next to Steve on the couch. "No offense, Steve, but I call bullshit."

Steve tried to glare, but Danny waved him off. "No, Steve; I mean it. You have busted your ass taking care of Grace and I through all of this – and we are beyond grateful. But at what cost? You're not sleeping that well. You obviously are having nightmares. I'm worried about you, man."

Steve shook his head. "Nightmare. Just this one tonight."

Danny bumped him with his shoulder. "Potato…potahto. The point is, you can stand down now. Do you want to tell me what that was all about?" Danny was referring to the nightmare, and immediately, Steve leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees.

"I…just…I don't think I can talk about it, Danny."

Danny nodded knowingly, already correctly assuming the nightmare was about Grace. As sickening as it was to even think about, he was also pretty sure he could figure out the context of the horrific dream. "She's okay, Steve. You saved her life. She's okay."

Steve spared a wide-eyed glance at Danny before he dropped his head, the muscles in his neck screaming in protest. He blinked to stave off the tears that were threatening to fall.

Danny kept up his reassurances, knowing that Steve was teetering on the ledge. "She's getting better now. She's comfortably asleep, and with any luck will move to the regular floor in the morning. Grace is safe now, because you rescued her."

Danny flung one arm over Steve's shoulder. "I don't remember much about any of that time – and I do want to know more later – but I do know that you fought with everything you had to bring my daughter back to me. You kept her safe and protected her until I could get to her. You saved her, Steve. She's alive because of you."

Steve brought one hand up to pinch at the bridge of his nose. He couldn't stop his tears as he weakly allowed Danny to pull him into a half-hug. He leaned his head on his partner's shoulder for a few seconds before sitting back up and blowing out a breath.

"I'm sorry, Danny." Steve hated showing any type of weakness, regardless of whether it was 'due' or not.

He flinched though, as Danny flicked him in the back of his head. "For what, Steve? Being human? Sorry, but your secret is out. You are a mere mortal, and have feelings, just like the rest of us."

Steve shook his head. "Ass."

Danny grinned, as he saw Steve start to pull himself together. He knew that Steve liked to come across as strong and untouchable, but he was also grateful to be among the few who was allowed to see the real Steve McGarrett. "Listen, Steve. Dr. Teleia is going to meet with Grace tomorrow, and requested that I be there as well. You are welcome to join us – I know Grace is worried about you. She's more perceptive than people give her credit for. Or, I wasn't sure if you had someone on base when you needed to decompress, but Steve? It's like you said before – we don't have compartments big enough for all of this shit – we need to talk to someone."

Steve nodded. "I know. I don't want to intrude on your time with Grace, though. We can talk to her in the morning and see what she wants to do. If she wants me there, I'll be there. But if she just wants you there, I'll call and make an appointment with my guy at Pearl. I love Grace too, you know."

Danny stood and held one hand out for Steve to use to pull himself up. "You goof. I know that. Grace knows that, too. And based on the countless stories I've heard over the years about her "Uncle Steve", the feeling is oh so very mutual."

Steve's slight blush had Danny chuckling all the way back to Grace's room. When they came back inside, they could see that Nalani had moved Steve's recliner so that it was on the other side of Grace's bed. She had a feeling that he would want to be close to her, after whatever had gone on in his head tonight. She most certainly was not wrong. Not by a long shot.

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	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Sorry for the slight delay in posting this. I've been sick all day, but didn't want to wait until tomorrow to post. I know it's repetitive, but thank you for all of the alerts, follows, and especially the reviews. They truly make my day.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Hawaii Five-O or CBS. No copyright infringement is inteded.**

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The rest of the night passed uneventfully, and by morning, they were getting anxious for Grace to leave the PICU. Dr. Mitchell had come in to do her rounds, and although Grace still wasn't eating very much, she was happier with the amount that she was drinking.

She wasn't quite ready to remove the IV just yet, though – she would keep the port in, and would flush it periodically, but wanted to try to get Grace to take all of her nutrition by mouth. If she wasn't able to do that, they could supplement with fluids without having to stick her again.

There wasn't too much to do to get things ready to go. Steve had helped pack Grace's things as well as Danny's. Their bags were sitting on the small loveseat underneath the window. Danny had taken a seat on the bed next to Grace. They were all just waiting for Ami and an orderly to transport her from Two West over to Two East, where the general floor was located. Hopefully it would only be a day or two before she was released for good.

"Hey, Monkey? I want to ask you a question, and I want you to be honest, okay? I promise that there's nothing wrong – I just want to know what you think about something."

Grace nodded, her eyebrows furrowed tightly together. She trusted her dad, and if he said it wasn't anything bad, then she would believe him. But the jumpy feeling was coming back again, and she was starting to feel a bit out of sorts.

"So you remember how Dr. Teleia and Riley are going to come and see you later this afternoon, right? And I'm going to be there too – because I really think I would like to talk to someone who is a good listener."

Grace nodded. She had been thinking about seeing the doctor again, and although she really wanted to see Riley, she was getting more nervous about meeting with the doctor. She was nice, but she wasn't sure she really wanted to talk too much today.

"Well, I think Uncle Steve really could use a good listener, too. He had a really bad dream last night, and I was wondering what you thought about him being there when she and Riley come?"

Grace turned to where Steve was sitting on the loveseat before carefully climbing off from the bed. She walked over to him and stood directly in front of him, staring at him with a cautious look on her face. "Was it a scary dream?"

Steve met her gaze and nodded. "Yeah, Gracie. It was." He wasn't going to lie to her, but he also wasn't going to share anything that might upset her.

She took a deep breath before reaching up for a hug. As he gathered her against his chest, he heard her whisper, "_I have scary dreams, too_."

He gently rested one hand against the back of her head and held her close. Hearing that, made him even more glad that Grace was seeing the psychiatrist today – something had to be done so that she could move forward – so that they could _all_ move forward.

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Within the next hour, things had progressed, and Grace was settled in her new room. Her new nurse, Casey, had gotten her situated and had shown Danny where to find anything he might need. One of the Child Life team had come in to meet Grace, and she was now in possession of a couple of books as well as a new package of markers and drawing paper that Grace could use when she felt up to it.

She was currently resting after lunch – such that it was. Grace again, had voiced her reluctance to eat. She had managed a few bites of ice cream, and a container of pineapple juice, but that was about it.

Danny suspected that Grace was getting nervous about Dr. Teleia's visit – as the morning progressed, she had gotten less and less talkative and more and more withdrawn. Danny didn't try to force her into conversation – he hoped that Dr. Teleia and Riley would help draw her out.

Steve was seated in one of the sleep chairs, restlessly bouncing his knee up and down. He was not looking forward to sharing his feelings – he often had to clamp down on them as a survival mechanism. So to be asked to dig deep into his thoughts and fears was making him a bit edgy.

Regardless of what he was feeling, though, he would do whatever he could to help Grace. He smiled as he thought about her quiet insistence that he stay for her appointment. _"Uncle Steve – I really want you to be there. I don't want you to have scary dreams any more. Please? Stay?"_

Danny shot him a quick look, shaking his head at the distinct look of fear that Steve was trying to hide. "Hey, Sir Bounce-A-Lot. You okay?"

Steve managed a glare, but did stop his incessant motion. "Yeah, I'm f – "

Danny interrupted him. "I know…you're fine. You need to relax, though. You're wound tight right now. I know you're not a fan of spilling your guts – I get that. I really do. But this is not an interrogation. The way I'm thinking, Dr. Teleia is going to spend more time with Grace, helping her cope with all of this shit. But if Grace sees that we're okay with the doc, then maybe she'll be okay with the doc, too."

Steve blew out a breath and scrubbed his hands through his hair. "I know. I just hate this, Danny. I really do."

Danny lightly stroked Grace's hair, not wanting to wake her up. "I hear you."

Steve leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "So you think she's worried about the doc? I thought she liked her yesterday?"

Danny carefully extricated himself from Grace's side, and moved to the other recliner chair. "She did…at least I hope she did. But I think she's worrying about what the visit is going to be like. I'm just…I don't know…I just want my baby back. She's been through so damned much. I just want her back."

Danny knew that he was exhausted – they all were. But he had this little niggling thought that would not leave him alone. _'What if Grace never got over this? What if she got lost inside herself?'_

Steve reached over and clasped Danny's shoulder. They all needed a break. He and Danny were both over thinking and needed to take a step back and focus on what was important – Grace's recovery, right here and right now.

Danny nodded in return, knowing that Steve understood where he was coming from.

Steve's phone chimed a text message. After he read it, he showed it to Danny. Chin was letting them know that he would be here closer to dinner time to set up a Skype session with Rachel. It was a convenient time for everyone involved, and Steve hoped that hopefully, if Grace had any stress during Dr. Teleia's session, she would be calmed back down again by the time she spoke to her mother.

Both men sat lost in their thoughts for another twenty minutes or so before Grace awoke from her short nap.

"Hey, Monkey. Did you sleep okay?"

Grace nodded sleepily, not quite ready to participate fully in a conversation.

"Good. Why don't you go get freshened up – I think Dr. Teleia and Riley are coming pretty soon."

Steve saw a brief moment of hesitation as she slid off of the bed, before she schooled her expression. She bit her lip before meeting his eyes. He winked and grinned at her, trying to reassure her that he and Danny were not going anywhere – they would be there for her for as long as she needed them to. She hugged Danny tightly before heading off towards the bathroom.

Danny visibly sagged as she shut the door. "God, Steve. She looks like she's scared shitless!"

Steve sat back against the chair with a sigh. "I know, but Dr. Teleia knows her stuff. Like you said, I'm sure it'll all be okay."

Just then, the aforementioned doctor poked her head in the room. "Hi, gentlemen. Is Grace in the playroom?" She came into the room with Riley in tow.

Danny shook his head. "No – she just woke up, so she's getting cleaned up."

Dr. Teleia looked at him carefully, immediately sensing the tension. "Danny? Is everything okay?"

He gestured helplessly at the closed door. "It's Grace. She's pretty withdrawn right now, and when we mentioned that you were on your way, she looked absolutely terrified. I'm just worried for her."

Dr. Teleia smiled reassuringly as she motioned for Riley to sit. "Believe it or not, she's doing really well, all things considered. I know she doesn't seem like her usual self, and right now, she's not. But I'm not seeing anything that tells me that she's not going to get better from this. Like I told you earlier, I think she's hiding a lot of her feelings, which is essentially making her feel 'stuck' – I'm going to play a word game with her, in the hope that she gets angry. That may seem counterintuitive, but I really feel like if I can get her angry, she'll see that it's perfectly okay to be mad at her situation."

Danny looked anxious. "I get it – I really do. But I feel like I have to say, for the record, that I hate all of this with a passion."

She nodded her understanding. "I know, Danny. I don't love this part of my job. But I promise you, you will see a huge difference in her once she gets that weight off of her shoulders. Now, what I'm going to need you to do is…well…nothing. I'm going to have Grace sit on her bed, because we need the tray table. I'll sit on the edge of the bed, and if you could just sit where you are, keeping yourself in sight of Grace, that'd be perfect."

Danny gestured to Steve. "Grace really wants him to be here, too. She's worried because he had a pretty rough nightmare last night."

Dr. Teleia nodded at the taller man. "That's no problem. Maybe the two of us can chat for a minute or two after Grace and I are finished? Most of my patients like to have a little bit of time with Riley once they are done – it's a good way to ramp back down again after a session."

Steve smiled tightly. "That's fine, doc."

Danny turned towards the door as Grace came back into the room. She faltered for a minute before walking over towards where Danny was sitting. He caught her up in a brief hug before releasing her. Rather than head for her bed, she moved towards where Steve was.

He also knelt down for a hug, picking her up as he stood. As she wrapped her arms around his neck, he whispered, "_It's all right, Gracie. You're safe here, okay? Your dad and I are staying put."_

She nodded against his shoulder as he gently placed her back on her bed. Dr. Teleia smiled as she moved the table where she wanted it, and perched herself on the edge.

"Hi Grace. I'm so glad to see you up and moving around – it won't be long now before you get to go home. I bet that's pretty exciting, right?" She was pleased to see Grace smile in return. "Now. I brought a sort of game with me, and I was hoping we could set it up on the table. The only thing I need to know is whether you would like Riley up on the end of your bed, or should he stay on the floor?"

Grace wasn't sure if the doctor was serious about her getting to decide, so she looked to Danny to be sure.

"I don't know, Monkey. I'm thinking I'd like Riley to sit here with me." He was smiling, knowing exactly what she would do with that.

She immediately patted the bed next to her, giggling as Riley hopped up on Dr. Teleia's command and maneuvered himself partially underneath the bedside table. Grace liked that, because she could reach down and Riley would be right there if she wanted to pet him.

"So Grace. Are you ready to play? It's pretty simple. I'm going to give you half of these blocks, and I'll keep the other half. I'll put one of my blocks on the table, and when I do that, I say something that makes me angry, or scared, or something that is not fair - or mad, or sad, or whatever. Then it's your turn. We take turns until the blocks are all stacked up. When we get there, then I'll show you how to finish the game, okay?"

Grace nodded. This didn't seem too bad. Maybe she was worried for nothing.

Dr. Teleia tapped her index finger against her lips. "Hmm. Oh, I know. It makes me sad when kids are sad." She placed the block on the table.

Grace contemplated her first block. "It makes me mad when kids are bullies."

Dr. Teleia nodded. "Good one, Grace. It makes me sad when someone feels lost."

They continued back and forth for a few turns. Grace stared at the block she held in her hand. "It makes me mad when some of my friends leave my other friend out."

Dr. Teleia smiled at Grace. "You are such a good friend, Grace. Let's see. It makes me sad when kids are treated badly."

Steve could sense that Dr. Teleia was subtly changing the direction of the game. Danny could as well. He kept his eyes locked onto Grace.

Grace put her hand down next to Riley, who obliged her by giving her fingers a gentle lick. "It makes me mad when I don't get to see Danno as much as I want." She kept her eyes down, blinking furiously to stop herself from crying.

Dr. Teleia kept going, knowing that there would be more emotion where that came from. "It makes me sad when kids have to grow up too fast."

Grace was absentmindedly stroking Riley's head as she thought about her next block. She only had three left. "It makes me mad that I'm not brave."

Danny swallowed hard as the doctor continued. "It makes me sad when kids worry about someone being upset with them, when they haven't done anything wrong."

Grace glanced up briefly before staring back down at her lap. "It makes me scared to be alone."

Dr. Teleia placed her last block on the tower. "It makes me sad when kids don't have anyone to be strong for them like you do, Grace. Now I know you only have one block left, so I want you to think of what makes you really super upset. When you know, I want you to put that block on the top of the tower, and then knock it down as hard as you can. I mean it…make some noise…crash the blocks all over the place. Can you do that?"

Grace nodded as she wiped a tear from her cheek. "It makes me really mad that a grown up thought it was okay to hurt me because he was mad at Danno." Her voice rose as she clutched at the blanket on the bed. "I didn't like getting sick. I didn't like thinking that I wouldn't ever see Danno again! And why? He was a bad man and he got in trouble for it. It wasn't Danno's fault! He was stupid for doing a bad thing. So why did he take me? Why did he put me in that box? Why did he make Danno and Uncle Steve scared? It's not fair. It's not! It's not fair!"

With that last, almost screaming declaration, Grace slammed her hand into the blocks, scattering them everywhere. Danny was ready to run to his daughter, but Steve had moved to his side and placed his hand on his arm. He knew that the doctor needed a few more minutes with Grace, to help her decompress.

Danny could only watch, his eyes wet, as Dr. Teleia reached for a tissue and handed it to Grace, who was sobbing. She moved the table away, and motioned for Riley to move closer. Once Riley was literally lying across Grace's lap, Dr. Teleia spoke softly as she put her arm around her young patient's shoulders. "Grace, I'm very proud of you. You've been so brave this whole time. Your dad can see it. Steve can see it. I can see it. But the problem sometimes with trying to be brave all the time, is that your brain kind of gets stuffed with everything. You're trying so hard to be brave, but you probably still had some worries and fears mixed in, right?"

Grace slowly met her eyes and nodded. "I dreamed one time that Danno moved far away and didn't tell me he was leaving. I didn't get to say goodbye." Her chin quivered at her admission, and she brushed at her wet cheeks.

Dr. Teleia knew that her subconscious mind was dealing with being taken away from Danny, so her dream made sense – the fear of abandonment running rampant. "That's what I was talking about. Eventually the brave and the worry and the fear and the mad get all mixed up, and pretty soon, you feel confused and upset. Your tummy hurts. Your head hurts. You get that jumpy feeling that you were telling me about. But Grace, I need you to listen. You didn't do anything wrong. What you felt was exactly what you needed to feel. It's okay to be mad. It's okay to be scared, or even sad. Just remember, though – you have a whole lot of people who are on your side. The only things you have to do are let them help you and let them love you. Can you do that?"

Grace wiped at her eyes and nose before nodding. Riley was nuzzling her hand, so she started petting his head.

Dr. Teleia stood up. "Grace, is it okay if I step over there and talk to Steve and your dad for a minute? I think that Riley is pretty happy where he is, so if you want to keep him company, I'd appreciate it. I want to come and see you tomorrow – I have a craft idea that I would like your help on. Would that be okay?"

Grace agreed, realizing that even though she was tired from crying, she did feel a little bit better. She had been worried about what Danno and Uncle Steve would think of her being scared, but when she peeked at them, they both looked at her the same as they always did - with kind eyes.

As Dr. Teleia headed their way, both Danny and Steve were relieved to see Grace smile as Riley burrowed his way underneath her arm, so that it was practically wrapped around him and his head was almost on her shoulder.

"Are you guys okay? I know that it's hard to watch that all unfold."

Danny nodded. "Yeah, that was rough. But I can see now that it was necessary. I'll be the first to admit that I was very apprehensive about you seeing her – but I will do _anything_ to get my daughter back. Anything."

Dr. Teleia smiled. "And Danny? She will be back. I have no doubt about that." She spoke with Steve for a few minutes while Grace spent some time loving on Riley. It was clear that the dog was in his element, nuzzling her every time she stopped giving him attention. He was not obnoxious about it – he was too well trained for that. But it was true, what Dr. Teleia had said earlier.

It was as if he had a sixth sense about what children needed - sometimes they needed still, and sometimes they needed a bit more energy - and it was clear that Grace needed him more playful in order to lighten the mood. All of a sudden, he licked her neck, and her giggle spoke volumes at not only how resilient she was, but at how they now all felt like she would get through this.

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	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Sorry this was a bit late going up. I'm still sick, and tonight just got away from me.**

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. I don't own anything related to Hawaii Five-0 or CBS.**

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Dr. Teleia grinned as Riley did his thing with Grace. She would put her hand on top of his paw, and before she could blink, Riley would move his paw and 'pin' Grace's hand. They must have kept this going for close to a minute before Grace finally just wrapped her new friend up in a hug.

She lay back against the pillows, and as soon as Riley sensed that Grace was quieting down, he simply put his head on her stomach and let her set the pace.

Grace's thoughts were quite jumbled up, although she was not as distressed as she had been before her session. It was weird – getting so mad and upset actually helped her feel better. It didn't really make sense to her, but regardless, she would take it.

Dr. Teleia wanted to see how Grace would react now that the session was over, so she turned to the two men who were watching her like hawks. "Danny? If you have a minute, I'd like to touch base with you as well. Steve? Remember what I said, okay? Your brain knows that you did everything that you could for Grace, and once you all are back in a more familiar environment, things will sort themselves out."

She watched as he took a deep breath and blew it out. "It's no different than returning from combat, as you well know. You've been there before – it takes a little time to acclimate again. The stress of everything you've been through is very similar to the stress of a mission – but if you find yourself have excessive nightmares or thoughts that just don't belong, then please, call your doctor at Pearl. But from a clinical standpoint, I feel like the dream was just your mind trying to compartmentalize everything that happened – that box just feels a lot smaller because you love Grace."

Steve nodded, knowing that the doctor was right. He just had to give himself time to grieve what had happened – Grace was fine now, but what he had seen was like a knife to his chest. He knew that he also had to give himself a break – easier said than done, but Danny had reminded him that he wasn't alone in this. He had reiterated those same thoughts to Danny as well – he hadn't had a front row seat to all of it because of his surgery and recovery, but it didn't mean that he wasn't affected by it.

"So Danny. Would you mind seeing if Grace wants to go to the playroom – maybe with Steve? I kind of want to see how she's doing right now, and that would give me a few minutes to talk to you before my next patient."

Danny grinned as he headed over to the bed. _Steve in the playroom? That should be interesting. _"Hey, Grace. Can I have a hug?" He carefully sat down, helping her shift so that Riley wasn't squashed. He grunted as she flung her arms around his neck but held on tight, breathing in her sweet scent. He could have lost everything, but was beyond thankful that he hadn't.

After a long few moments, he sat back and stared at his baby. She was still a bit subdued, but her eyes were brighter than they had been, and he had to believe that that was a good sign. "I'm so proud of you, Monkey. I really, really wanted you to know that. I know it was hard to say all of that, but you did it. No matter what, I will always love you…you know that, right?"

Grace nodded, her smile inching just a bit wider. "I know. I love you, too."

Danny gestured back to Steve and smirked. "So. Dr. Teleia wants to talk to me for a couple of minutes. What do you think about taking Uncle Steve down to the playroom?" He leaned down and whispered into her ear. "You could totally kick his butt playing some Xbox."

Grace giggled, lightening the mood of the room considerably. "That might be fun. Will you be gone long?" Even though she felt a little bit better, she wasn't completely secure in letting Danny go too far.

Danny shook his head. "Nah – maybe five or ten minutes, tops. What if I keep Riley here with me while I talk to the doctor, and then we come down when I'm done so you can say goodbye. What do you think?"

She looked toward Steve and smiled – he looked like he could use a hug, and she thought that maybe she could help. "Okay. Come on, Uncle Steve. Wanna go play?"

Steve came to her side and reached for her hand. "Sure, munchkin. Just take it easy on me, okay?"

Danny rolled his eyes. "Yeah, Grace. Uncle Steve hasn't played in a long, long, time."

Steve ran a hand through his hair, conveniently leaving his middle finger up where Danny would be sure to see it.

Grace couldn't figure out why her dad was laughing, so she gave up trying. She simply raised her arms, knowing that her Uncle Steve would carry her. He would never let her fall.

As the two left for the playroom, Danny turned to where Dr. Teleia was sitting on the loveseat. "So what next? What should we look out for?"

"Danny, relax. One thing at a time, okay? I wanted to talk about Grace, but I also wanted to check in on you, and see how you were doing. How's your shoulder?"

Danny reached for a pillow to put under his sling – sometimes it really pulled on his shoulder muscles. "It's still pretty sore. I'm managing okay, but I think I'll feel better once I get home and into a real bed. Grace and I are going to stay with Steve for a few days – just until I'm more on my feet. Grace's mom is in England with her mother – her mother is in Hospice care right now, and I'm assuming that she and her husband will stay there until her mother passes. Grace is going to Skype with her in a little while – Steve said that Rachel told him that she didn't want Grace to know yet. I'm thinking that's the right thing to do – Grace doesn't really know her grandmother that well – she's only seen her a few times in her life."

He massaged the back of his neck nervously. "As for the rest of it…I'm…" He paused, unsure of what to say. "I'm honestly not sure. I mean, I feel a little better after seeing Grace let go of some of the fear and the anger. But I kind of feel…stuck, I guess? I'm not sure if that's the right word. I was out of it for most of the worrying and the fear, so I don't have the same perspective as Steve, Chin, and Kono do; but I do know that while I was awake, it was the most terrifying feeling I've ever experienced."

Dr. Teleia shook her head. "Don't discount what you went through, Danny. You _do_ have a unique perspective in all of this – Grace is your daughter. Just because you weren't awake for all of it, doesn't mean it didn't happen to you. Does that make sense?"

Danny nodded. "Yeah, I guess. I just…I'm not completely sure what to feel, which sounds so stupid. I mean, Murdock took Grace. That one is obvious. I was there for that. But I _wasn't_ there for the search, the rescue, or the Emergency Room – I only heard about it secondhand. Yeah, it scared me half to death to when I was told about it. I don't know…whatever emotions I'm dealing with, at the end of the day, I'm grateful that Grace is on her way to being okay."

The young psychiatrist placed her hand on Danny's shoulder. "I think, Danny, that all in all, you're handling things quite well. The biggest thing you can do for yourself is to not keep things bottled up. You've got a good support system in your friends – they were also a part of this situation in one form or another. Like I told Grace – let them be there for you. Be there for each other."

Danny nodded – it made sense. They were ohana, and together, they would get through this nightmare.

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Grace was a little hesitant as she entered the playroom, but the young woman volunteering made her feel right at home. Shyly, she asked about using an Xbox, and was immediately shown to the controllers.

Steve wasn't sure what he was supposed to do here. He had never really seen value in playing video games. He had served with soldiers who played on their down times to relax, but it had honestly never appealed to him.

Grace patted the ground next to where she had sat down. She was cross-legged, holding a controller in her hand, and another in her lap. "Come on, Uncle Steve! Come sit down with me."

He carefully maneuvered himself into relatively the same shape as Grace, and took the game controller that she offered him. "I don't know what kind of game you like, but they have a _Hot Wheels_ game that might be fun – it's a racing game."

Steve nodded. Racing. He could do that. How hard could it be? "Sounds good, kiddo. You just have to show me how to work the controls first, okay?"

It didn't take long before Grace had given Steve the basics, and they were ready to play. It also didn't take long for Grace to leave Steve behind. He tried, but he just couldn't get his car to do what he wanted it to.

He was a Navy SEAL, for crying out loud. It shouldn't be this difficult to work a control. He had flown helicopters. He had diffused bombs. He had worked countless classified military operations, and was damn good at protecting the interests of the United States of America! So why in the hell was it so complicated to make his car go around a damned track? He was seriously trying not to pout – it was not very flattering behavior for a Navy SEAL – but it was beyond frustrating.

He would have been even more frustrated however, had it not been for the big smile on Grace's face. She was enjoying her time playing games, and appeared to be the most relaxed she had been since she was admitted.

While they were playing, Danny and Dr. Teleia had made it as far as the doorway. They both stood there grinning at how relaxed Grace appeared. _This_ was what they had been hoping for. Danny, on the other hand, was out and out chortling at the expression on Steve's face. He was manning the game controller as if he had ten thumbs, none of which worked in tandem with the others.

"Hey, Super SEAL…how's it going in here?" Danny sauntered in, a huge smirk on his face.

Steve schooled his expression just a hair too late. "The two of us are doing just fine, thank you very much." He knew he had been caught, but he wasn't about to give Danny any more ammunition.

Danny just rolled his eyes. _Of course they were just fine. That was why Steve looked like he wanted to attach a small explosive charge to the Xbox and blow it up._ "Hey, Monkey. I wanted to let you know that Dr. Teleia and Riley have to go, and that Uncle Chin is on his way to set up the computer so that you can Skype with your mom like we talked about. Can you put the game away and come say bye?"

It didn't take Grace long to clean up with Steve helping. Before too long, she was back in the hallway hugging Riley and giggling as he gave her a handshake. She turned to where Dr. Teleia was standing and smiled.

Dr. Teleia knelt down to Grace's level and smiled right back. "Grace, thank you for letting us come and see you today. I hope you're feeling a little bit better."

Grace nodded. "My tummy doesn't hurt as much as it did."

The doctor reached out for a high-five. "I'm so glad. Is it still okay if I come tomorrow and we can make that craft project I was telling you about? I really think it'll help you feel better, and will let you be in charge of your feelings. What do you think?"

Grace nodded. "Can Riley come, too?"

Danny smiled as his daughter was obviously very smitten with the therapy dog.

Dr. Teleia nodded. "I think we can make that work. He's not very good at making crafts, but maybe your dad or your Uncle Steve can pet him while we work?"

Grace leaned over to whisper in her ear. "_I think they both need Riley – but maybe they don't know how to ask?"_

Dr. Teleia whispered back. _"Maybe we'll make it so they don't have to ask, okay?"_

Danny pretended to be indignant as Steve moved to his side. "Hey, what's this? Keeping secrets from your old man? Just for that, I ought to hide the Mango-Pineapple-Coconut Smoothie that Uncle Chin is bringing with him. No treats for you, missy!"

Grace giggled as Steve picked her up. "Don't worry, Gracie. I'll save you. If Danno doesn't cooperate and give you your smoothie, I'll just order pizza for dinner and make sure it has nothing but pineapple on it."

Dr. Teleia let out a relieved sigh as she watched the three head down the hall, back towards Grace's room. She really felt like the tide had turned, and that despite the treacherous start to Grace's hospital admission, things would eventually be okay.

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They had been back in Grace's room for about five minutes when Chin knocked on the door frame. "Anybody here?"

Danny relieved Chin of the smoothie he was carrying, and made like he was going to keep it from Grace. Every adult in the room was beyond relieved when Grace snatched it out of his hands and hurried to Steve's side.

Danny pretended to glare, but secretly was thrilled as he watched her dig in enthusiastically. It was the first sustenance that she willingly took in on her own. Even if she only had part of it, it was a definite step in a positive direction.

Kono breezed through the doorway, a small gift bag in hand. "Hi Grace! I know you get to talk to your mom pretty soon – I thought it might be fun if we did your hair before that. What do you think?" Kono waited for Grace to climb up onto the bed, and handed her the bag.

She dumped out a colorful supply of hair ties, clips, and jeweled barrettes. Grace couldn't decide what she wanted to try first.

While Kono kept Grace occupied, Chin worked on setting up the laptop, while Danny sent a text to Rachel. He told her to just text back when she was online, and they would connect from there.

It only took a few moments before Danny's phone chimed an incoming message. Making sure that Grace was still busy, he connected to the Skype session. He immediately noticed just how ragged Rachel looked – like she hadn't stopped moving for days.

As Danny expressed his condolences to Rachel, Steve and Chin moved over to the bed. They wanted to give Danny a few minutes of privacy, and to allow him time to fill Rachel in on how Grace was doing. What a difference a day made! They were grateful that there would be improved news where Grace was concerned.

After a few minutes, Danny motioned for Grace to come and sit next to him on the sleep chair. As soon as Rachel saw Grace on the screen, the dam burst on her emotions. They all could hear as she broke down in tears, and were helpless to do anything to fix it.

Grace, too, was crying – unable to make sense of why her mother was hysterically sobbing. It was starting to scare her – she began to wonder if there was something wrong with her mom. Looking to Danny with tears in her eyes, she silently implored him to make this better.

Knowing that Rachel needed a few minutes, he wrapped his good arm around his daughter. "It's okay, Monkey. Mommy's just happy to see you. She's been so worried about you, because she knew you were pretty sick at first, but could only imagine how you were doing. Now that she can see for herself, she's very relieved."

Rachel picked up on what Danny was saying, and hurriedly composed herself. After a little encouragement from Danny, Grace picked up her end of the conversation. She and Rachel had a good ten minutes of conversation before Danny could see that Rachel was flagging. Grace was as well, and so Danny carefully drew the conversation to a close.

With promises to talk again once Grace was released, Danny made sure that Rachel knew that she could contact any one of the Five-0 team if she needed anything – or just needed to check on Grace.

Grace told her mom that she loved her before Danny shut the connection down. As Chin moved the laptop out of the way, Grace carefully folded herself into Danny's side and softly cried. It was as if the emotions of the day were catching up to her. She was happy having her Danno to herself, but missed her mom, too.

Danny just stroked her hair, knowing that this was all a part of the healing and grieving process. As Dr. Teleia had shared with him, Grace was, in a way, grieving the loss of innocence. It wasn't exactly that simple, but she had told him to expect a wide range of emotions as the days progressed. She might still show signs of anger. She may cling to loved ones more than normal. She may be withdrawn.

The important thing for Danny to remember was that all of those were normal in a situation like Grace's. Regardless of what came up over the next few days and weeks, though, Danny would be by her side, helping her navigate the bumps, twists, and turns.

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	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long to get posted today. My crud turned into walking pneumonia, and I have spent much of the past 24 hours sleeping on and off. **

**I appreciate all of the follows, alerts, and reviews. I know I've said it before, but they do make my day. Really and truly.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Hawaii Five-0 or CBS. No copyright infringement intended.**

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Danny's shoulder was starting to protest the position he was in. He had the sling on, obviously, but found that if he kept a pillow underneath it and supporting it, he had less muscle spasms, which was always a good thing. Right now, though, the muscles were well on their way to screaming.

He shifted slightly, and grimaced as Grace just burrowed herself further into Danny's chest. He glanced at Steve, an unspoken plea in his eyes.

Steve nodded, and carefully approached Grace's side. "Hey, Gracie. I think Danno needs to get up, and I could really use a hug. Do you think you could come with me?" He held out his arms, wanting the decision to be Grace's.

Without hesitation, she immediately reached up for Steve to pick her up. As soon as she felt herself in the security of his arms, she buried her face into his neck and breathed in that secure feeling that she always associated with her Uncle Steve.

Danny took this brief reprieve to use the restroom and clean up a bit. Chin and Kono offered to go pick up some dinner – he knew that Grace loved pizza, and hoped that a food that she loved might entice her to eat something a little more substantial than she had in a while.

Steve kissed the top of her head. "I'm so proud of you, Gracie. So very proud. I know it was hard to talk to Dr. Teleia, but you did it. You are getting better every day. I bet you even get to go home soon."

He could feel her tears soaking his shirt, but he didn't mind. He knew that her emotions were probably all over the place, after her much-needed outburst had stirred them up. He pictured it like the sand settling back down to the bottom of the ocean after a wave had churned it up. Her breakdown had churned up the emotions and feelings, and now they were starting to settle back down again.

He continued to hold her close – murmuring words of encouragement and love – lightly rocking back and forth as he'd seen Danny do more than once. Eventually, he felt her wrap her arms more securely around his neck, and could feel that she was settling down.

Moving to the small loveseat, he sat down carefully and lightly kept rubbing her back. After a few seconds, she lifted her head and stared at him, almost apologetically. Giving her a quizzical look, he asked, "What's wrong?"

Grace shook her head. "I'm sorry, Uncle Steve."

Steve was truly confused – she had absolutely no reason to apologize for anything. "What for, babe? You didn't do anything wrong."

She shrugged one shoulder. "I just don't like feeling all mixed up. I just want to be better. And I got your shirt wet."

He smiled softly, tucking her braid back over her shoulder and thumbing away the last of her tears. "Aww, sweetheart. You have nothing to apologize for. When you were playing with Riley earlier, your dad and I had a chance to talk to Dr. Teleia. She said that all of this mixed up feeling that you have is normal."

Grace didn't look convinced, so he tried to think of a way to make it make sense for her. "Let's try this. Have you ever seen what happens to a soda bottle if you shake it up or drop it?"

Grace nodded. "It kind of explodes when you open it up."

Steve grinned. "Exactly. So you being all mixed up, like you called it, is kind of like that soda bottle. Right now, everything is all shaken up, and when you talked and got mad, you opened it up. You kind of exploded, which was your mind's way of saying it had been quiet long enough. But now that you got some of the bubbles out, things will settle back down again. The doctor told us that you might still have some sad days and maybe even some mad days, but that it was okay. It's all part of healing, sweetheart."

Grace reached back up and wrapped her arms around Steve's neck once again. "Thanks, Uncle Steve. Thank you for helping make sense of stuff."

He kissed her cheek with a loud smack. "You're welcome, Grace. Your dad and I – and Chin and Kono – are here for you no matter what you need, okay? It might take a little bit of time, but we're all going to get through this. I promise."

Steve had no way of knowing that Danny had heard everything that Steve had told Grace. To be honest, he was struggling himself, to keep his tears at bay. He didn't know how he had gotten so lucky. When he first moved to Hawaii, he hated everything about it except for his daughter. But now, he had an ohana that he trusted, and who loved him and his daughter without question. He was a very blessed man.

Pushing away from the bathroom door, he crossed to where Steve and Grace were sitting. "Hey, Monkey. Thanks for helping Uncle Steve out with his hug. I'm sure your hugs were much better than my one-armed ones.

Grace smiled up at her dad. "I don't care if you only use one arm right now, Danno. I'm just glad I can hug you."

Danny plopped down next to Grace, so that she was sandwiched between her two favorite men in her life. He grabbed the pillow that was resting on the window sill and placed it in his lap, resting his arm on the white cloth.

"So, Grace. I have to go see the physical therapist tomorrow so that she can start working on my arm. I was thinking that maybe I could go down first and get the hard stuff out of the way, and then Uncle Steve can bring you, and you can help me with my exercises. What do you think?"

Grace beamed, first at Danny, and then at Steve. "Can I? I'm a really good helper!"

Danny grinned at her exuberance. "I know you are, silly. That's why I want you as my nurse."

She carefully wrapped her arms around Danny's stomach and squeezed. "Thanks, Danno."

Danny closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He would say it again. He was a very blessed man. "You're welcome, Grace. You're so very welcome."

The three sat chatting mindlessly for about twenty minutes before Chin and Kono arrived with the pizza. During that twenty minutes, Grace had managed a cranberry juice, and a pineapple juice; both of which she asked for herself.

By the time Chin and Kono had set things up, Grace was actually looking forward to trying some pizza. It had been days since anything sounded or tasted good, but at least for now, the smell of pizza had her mouth watering, and she was looking forward to her dinner.

All told, by the end of the evening, Grace had managed just over half of a fairly good sized slice, which had done wonders to relax everyone around her. Things weren't perfect, but for the first time in a while, things felt much more normal – and that was something that they all appreciated.

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The next morning, Grace was still sleeping as Steve went down to the small coffee bar in the lobby to grab some fuel. While he was there, he received a text that had him hurrying outside. Paying for his purchase, he quickly secured the items in his hands and made his way back upstairs.

Entering Grace's room, he heard Danny talking to Grace while she was brushing her teeth. He heard 'two braids', and figured he had enough time to set up the tray table. He quickly placed everything where he wanted, and hurried to the loveseat, trying to look inconspicuous.

Grace was the first to figure it out, when she spied the breakfast on the table. "Malasadas!" She hurried to the bed and climbed up, suddenly ravenous for the sweet treat. He had caught her nurse on his way in, and had asked for a couple of milks to go with them, so she had a cold drink waiting as well.

Danny shook his head. Leave it to Steve, of the healthy eating regime, to essentially bribe his daughter to eat. He didn't mind, though – he was going to thoroughly enjoy this breakfast. He wasn't even going to ask how Steve had managed to have them brought to him…it was probably safer to not know.

As Steve passed him a large coffee, Danny gestured his thanks.

Steve just shrugged a shoulder as he watched Grace bite into the sugary pastry. There really was no thanks necessary. Watching Grace recover was thanks enough.

After breakfast was over, and Grace was cleaned up, her nurse came with some good news. Dr. Akasa, who was the pediatrician on call for the floor, had authorized removing Grace's IV, once and for all. Everyone was pleased with her increased liquid intake, and they felt fairly confident that she could maintain a healthy balance without the need for additional IV fluids.

Grace was a trouper as the tape was removed, and barely flinched as the plastic catheter was pulled. A pink camouflage bandage later, and Grace was much more comfortable. She had even gotten to ceremoniously dump the contents in the trash can, making her feel better to throw it in as hard as she could. It was one more step closer to getting home.

After the appreciated interruption, Danny took his turn getting ready for the day. Dr. Teleia was due in a few minutes, and Grace was a bit nervous as to how this session would go. She liked the doctor, but had no desire to melt down again like she did yesterday.

Steve kept her busy helping clean up from breakfast, hoping that would take her mind off of her worries. He could see that she was starting to ramp up the anxiety again, and as she caught his eye, he pointed to his belly and took a deep breath, and then pointed to her.

It finally dawned on Grace what he was hinting at, and she smiled and sat back against the pillows. She closed her eyes, and concentrated on taking deep breaths and keeping that balloon in her tummy where it belonged. After five breaths, she opened her eyes, and was surprised to see that she felt better. She turned and saw her Danno watching her with a large smile on his face.

"Good job, Grace. I'm glad you remembered to do that." He joined her on the bed.

"But I didn't remember at first. Uncle Steve reminded me." She wasn't mad at that…just frustrated.

Just then, Dr. Teleia and Riley came into the room. She must have overheard what Grace had said, because she caught her attention. "That's okay, Grace. How many times, when you first learn something, do you remember exactly how to do it? This is one of those things, that the more you practice doing it, the easier it will be to remember. Let's just focus on the important thing – you did what you needed to do to feel better. I think we're all pretty proud of that."

She set a large tote bag on the end of the bed. "Okay, gentlemen. I'm going to be making crafts with Miss Grace, here. Unless you want to join us, can I interest you in taking Riley for a walk? There's a courtyard just off from the cafeteria that has a bit of running room. He's already done his business, but you might want to take a few gloves and a baggie with you, just in case."

She turned away from the guys and winked at Grace, remembering their conversation from the day before. Grace took it from there. "Have fun walking him, you guys. But bring him back in a little while, because I want to see him, too. Please?"

Sensing that they were being kicked out, Steve reluctantly took the leash from Dr. Teleia before they each kissed the top of Grace's head.

"Okay, okay. We'll get out of your hair. And we won't be long, either. So no plotting any escape plans while we're gone, okay?" Danny only pretended to be grumpy, inwardly loving that Grace was willing to have him leave her with the doctor. What a change a day made.

As the two took Riley out for some 'male bonding', Dr. Teleia and Grace were busy getting the craft supplies in order.

"Okay, Grace. What we're going to make today is called a "worry can". You're going to decorate this sheet of paper however you want. Once you're finished, we'll attach it to the outside of this can, and then I'll cut a slot in the lid. After that is done, I'll explain to you and your dad how it works, okay?"

Grace nodded enthusiastically. She loved to draw, and was looking forward to thinking of something beautiful to put on the outside of the can.

Dr. Teleia observed Grace as she carefully thought out and designed her picture. She could tell that Grace was drawing people – she thought she could make out Danny and Steve – the height difference in Grace's picture made it quite obvious. There were two other people standing next to them in the picture – she would have to ask Grace who they were. A few minutes later, three more people had been added to the portrait, and Grace put the colored pencils down with a relieved sigh.

"That's beautiful, Grace. Can you tell me who everyone is?"

Grace turned the paper. "I wanted a picture of my ohana – everyone who I call my family. There's Danno, Uncle Steve, Uncle Chin, Auntie Kono, Kamekona, Mommy, and Step-Stan."

Dr. Teleia smiled. "You know, Grace. I think that's perfect for what this can is about. How about we glue the paper on, and while it's drying, we can clean up a bit."

While they did that, Steve and Danny had come back with Riley. Once Riley was settled on the bed next to Grace, Dr. Teleia motioned for the two men to pull chairs up next to Grace.

"Okay. So Grace and I were a bit busy while you two were out playing. But, she got things finished up, and now it's time to explain just what this is. This is called a 'worry can'. Any time that Grace is worried about something – no matter how big or small, she is to write it down on a slip of paper, and drop it through the slot in the lid of the can. Now here's the important part."

She turned to face Grace. "Grace, I only want your dad, and mom when she gets back, to ask _you_ about the can for a week or two. After that, I want you to be the one to bring the can to whomever you are with whenever there are worries inside of it. Do you know why I want you to do this?"

Grace furrowed her brow in concentration, but couldn't come up with an answer. She shook her head.

"That's okay. It seems like a hard answer, but it's really pretty simple. I want you to keep realizing that your parents want to help you. They will stop what they are doing and help you through your worries, but you need to be willing to ask for help. Does that make sense?"

Grace nodded. "I think so. I know that sometimes it's hard to ask for help, but if I want to get better, it's _okay_ to ask. Right?"

Dr. Teleia high-fived her. "Exactly right. Asking for help when you need it is the key to getting better. And sweetheart? You are well on your way to getting better. And I have a feeling that before long, you'll see that the can will have fewer and fewer worries inside of it. Before you know it, it'll be empty for a while. It's okay for you to fill it up whenever you need to, though – there's no 'end' to this game."

She made sure that everyone understood that if Grace went for weeks without writing anything, but one day, felt the need to, it was okay. But no matter when it took place, Grace needed to feel comfortable enough bringing the can to whichever parent she was with, so that they could discuss her fears and worries, without letting them fester.

"And, I have one more surprise for you. First, though, I need to take a picture of you and Riley. Would that be okay? It's part of your present."

Grace nodded. She was glad that she was going to get a picture of Riley – she had really grown to love the dog in the short time she had gotten to spend with him.

Steve and Danny laughed as Riley put a paw on Grace's shoulder, just as she put her hand on him. They truly looked like two best friends with their arms around the other's back.

Dr. Teleia snapped a few different poses before taking the SD card from the camera. She handed it to Steve. "Would you mind giving this to the secretary at the nursing station? She has my photo printer in her office, and can print out the pictures I need for Grace's surprise.

Steve hurried out to get the photos, while Danny chatted with the doctor. Grace, of course, was content to love on Riley.

Danny was happy to hear that Dr. Teleia was going to recommend that Grace be discharged. She no longer needed inpatient psychiatric sessions. In fact, Dr. Teleia doubted that Grace would even need outpatient sessions. She had given Danny her card, just in case they ever needed her, but she truly believed that Grace was on the road to healing.

Grace was also showing that she was able to eat and drink enough, and her kidneys were showing no signs of damage from her ordeal. Medically, she was stable. Mentally, she was stable. In her opinion, the best healing from here on out would come at home.

Steve came back in, a handful of photos in his grasp. He watched as Dr. Teleia put a few into the two cloth bags that she now had out on the table. Smiling, she turned to Grace. "Now, Grace. I was telling your dad that I think you're better enough to go home. I'm going to talk to Dr. Akasa and see if he's willing to release you this afternoon. How does that sound?"

Grace smiled. "I'd like that."

Danny clasped her hand and whispered, "Me, too."

Dr. Teleia moved one of the bags to Grace's lap, and told her to pull out what was inside. "This bag is called a 'Feel Better Bag'. I made one for your mom's house, and one for your dad's. That way, no matter where you are, you will have reminders of how you can keep feeling better. The first thing that you grabbed is called a dreamcatcher. The Native Americans believed that dreamcatchers not only helped you have good dreams, but caught and trapped bad dreams so that they couldn't scare you."

She motioned for Grace to pull the next thing from the bag. "This next thing is a stress ball. I have one that I like to squeeze when my mind gets too busy. Sometimes it helps quiet my mind down so that I can make sense of what I'm thinking."

Grace handed her the next two items. "I put a balloon in here. Any idea why?"

She glanced down to see Grace smiling shyly. "So I remember my belly breathing."

Dr. Teleia poked Grace's nose. "Yep. And the band-aid to remind you that hurts eventually heal…just like you are doing. And the pictures of Riley are meant to remind you that you have a lot of people supporting you. Like that picture you drew for your worry can. Your ohana, right?"

Grace nodded, suddenly choked up. Dr. Teleia took it in stride, and just pulled her in for a hug.

"Thank you for making me feel better." Grace's voice was a whisper, but everyone heard her loud and clear.

"You're welcome, sweetheart. It was my pleasure."

While Grace was saying goodbye to Riley, Steve and Danny were thanking Dr. Teleia profusely for her help in getting Grace back.

She tried to brush off the praise, but Danny wouldn't let her. "I mean it, doc. I can't even begin to thank you for everything you have done for me – and for my daughter. I am glad that I don't have to think about where she would be without you. Just know that if you ever need anything, please call me."

Steve quickly echoed his sentiments as she picked up Riley's leash and called him down from the bed. They walked her to the door, thanking her again, before turning back to where Grace was sitting. Later today. _They were going home, later today._

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	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Thanks for the well wishes - the pneumonia is still giving me fits, but is better than before. I'll take it after how cruddy I've felt.**

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Grace was a bit wiped out, after the excitement of her morning. After Dr. Teleia had spoken with Dr. Akasa, they had agreed that Grace was well enough to go home. It would still take a couple of hours to fully discharge Grace, so while they were waiting, they had a light lunch.

Grace ate part of a sandwich from the cafeteria, while Danny and Steve both loaded up on salads and sandwiches. Grace even swiped a few of her dad's chips, much to his dismay. Her giggles were all worth it, though. Even though he liked to complain, he wouldn't trade that sound for anything.

While Danny headed down to physical therapy, Steve talked Grace into curling up with him on her bed, watching a bit of a local surfing competition while they waited. He lightly started stroking her hair, knowing that she was a little keyed up waiting to go and 'help' Danny with therapy.

He wanted her to try to relax a little bit, so that she wouldn't be quite so boisterous and inadvertently bump into Danny. He knew it would destroy her if she hurt her dad, so he was hoping that she would tire out just a little.

After about fifteen minutes, he could feel her start to relax into his side, and he peeked down at where her head was pillowed on his chest. Her eyes were open, and she was simply relaxing – she wasn't sleeping, but seemed to appreciate the downtime.

He let her rest for another five minutes before getting her moving. He wanted her to have time to clean up from lunch, and once she was ready to go, they started the trek down the hall towards the elevator. They only had to go up two floors, but once Grace realized it was almost time for her to help, she was more than ready to go.

Danny had told Steve to give him about 30 minutes to check in and see Kerilyn for treatment before coming to find him. He wanted to brief her on his plan to have Grace help however she could. The couple of times he had spoken with her, she seemed to be a good-natured therapist who thought 'outside the box' – so he figured she would be on board.

By the time Steve and Grace were near due to arrive, Danny was rethinking the good-natured description. Kerilyn was brutal as she took him through some basic range of motion exercises designed to give a baseline of his disability – at least brutal was what it felt like to him.

He knew it had to be done, but man – her thumbs felt like nails as they massaged into some of the knots that accumulated over the past couple of days. As she tested his limits, he nearly had tears in his eyes a couple of times – partially in pain, and partially in frustration at how bleak things seemed right this minute.

Kerilyn was sympathetic to his frustration, and sat him up on the edge of the table to face her. "Look, Danny. Before you get yourself too frustrated, let me remind you that you just had surgery a few days ago. _Days!_ Your shoulder is still very inflamed from the injury – while they repaired the damage, there is still some residual swelling going on. That is going to affect your range of motion, and your pain level."

Danny blew out a breath. He heard what she was saying – he really did. But it didn't do much to ease his annoyance. "I know…but…"

Kerilyn held up her hand. "But nothing. Danny, don't take today to mean that this is as good as it gets. I know that right now, you've got to be pissed that you can barely lift your arm up. But I promise you – it will get better. I'm going to recommend that Dr. Maclean gets you a script for an anti-inflammatory. It will help to decrease some of that swelling. It'll also help with some of the pain, which might mean you can stop the pain medication."

He nodded. He'd taken anti-inflammatories before, and knew that once they started working, they normally did a pretty good job at knocking the swelling down.

He could feel her staring at him, so he reluctantly met her gaze. He hated feeling like this, but he just wanted a break, damn it.

"Now. I have a pretty good read on you. I know you're going to want to push it. If I had to guess, I'd say that you might think that more is better, but Danny, in this case, it's the worst thing that you can do. I promise that we're going to make good progress with this, and fairly quickly, too. But if you try to do more than what I recommend at home, you could set yourself back. Neither of us wants that. I will be flat-out pissed at you if you undo all of my hard work."

She was laughing as she said it, but Danny knew she was dead serious. "I won't, I promise. I'm sure that between Steve and Grace, they will keep me in line."

"Good. I've been there, Danny. I've shredded my ankle playing volleyball – had surgery to repair two ligaments. And I thought I knew more than the therapist who was treating me. I ended up having to go in for another arthroscopic surgery a couple of months later to clean up some scarring – scarring that I most likely wouldn't have had if I would have listened. It set me back double the time, and I don't want that for you." Kerilyn completely understood where Danny was right now, emotionally.

Danny appreciated her honesty, although it was kind of freaking him out that she was almost inside his head. "Thank you. I get what you're saying, and I will try not get down on myself – it's the best I can do right now, okay?"

Kerilyn nodded. She knew he had been through a lot over the past few days – he could only do what he could do, and she would be there to help however she could. "Before your daughter gets here, I wanted to get you scheduled for at least the next month – I'd like to see you three times a week, if you can make that work. At the end of that time, we'll do a re-eval, and see what kind of progress you've made. I know it doesn't feel like it right now, but you'd be surprised at how much improvement we can get in a month."

She walked him to the front desk and quickly had him placed on the schedule. Danny knew that if Steve couldn't drive him to his appointments, he could either get a ride or just call a cab. The receptionist handed him a computer printout of his next twelve appointments, and he folded it and tucked it in his pocket.

"Danno!" No sooner had he turned around, than he found himself with an armful of his exuberant daughter.

"Hey, Monkey. Did you and Steve cause any trouble while I was gone?"

Grace giggled. "Only one explosion. No big deal, right, Uncle Steve?"

Danny rolled his eyes as Steve chuckled out loud. "Yep. No big deal. That's how we roll, right Gracie?"

Danny mock glared at his best friend. "Must you be a Neanderthal, Steve? Really?"

Kerilyn smiled at the trio – it was clear that Danny had a good support system in place – as did his daughter. She knew that if she could get Grace to feel like she was helping her dad, it would do so much for both of them.

"Hi there. I'm Kerilyn. I'm the Physical Therapist that is treating your dad. You must be Grace." She held out her hand, and winked as Grace reached out and shook it in return.

Grace gave Danny 'the look' as she heard him mumble, '_physical terrorist is more like it'_, underneath his breath. "Danno, that's not nice. She's only trying to help."

Kerilyn burst out laughing as Danny turned red at the admonition. "Sorry, Grace."

Steve was trying not to laugh – it was definitely clear that Grace was feeling much more like herself.

Kerilyn shook her head before fist-bumping Grace. "Okay, missy. Let's go see what you can do to help your dad."

Kerilyn took Danny and Grace over to the side of the clinic, where a few large padded tables were placed fairly low to the ground. "Alright. Danny, what I want you to do is put your left foot on the ground, and your right knee on the table. What I'm going to have you do is bend at the waist, and place your right hand on the table. I don't want you to force things, but we're going to just use gravity to help stretch things out."

She helped him remove the sling and made sure he was in the right position. "And Grace? Would you be able to lie on the floor? I want your stomach right below where your dad's hand will be. I'm going to see if eventually, he can poke you in the belly."

The idea was that Danny would bend and let his left arm dangle straight down. Kerilyn would help stabilize the joint, but would slowly start to relax the amount that she held on. Danny wasn't going to reinjure the joint, but had to get used to having it in that position again.

Grace got into position, and grinned up at Danny as he did as well. There was a fair amount of wincing as gravity started to take over. Kerilyn kept things steady until Danny's arm was fully extended.

"You doing okay, Danny?" Kerilyn kept her eyes locked with Danny's, knowing that regardless of what he said, his face would tell the truth.

"Not too bad." Danny took a deep breath and let it out.

"Good job, Danno." Grace's smile was contagious, and Danny couldn't help but chuff out a small laugh.

"Thanks, Monkey."

Kerilyn knelt down next to Grace. "Now, Danny. Keeping your hand in a fist, I want you to make small circles with your arm straight, keeping your hand in a fist. It should feel like you're drawing a circle around a clock face. Grace, you're in charge of counting – he has to do ten each direction before he's all finished. Are you ready?"

Grace nodded. "Ready, Danno?"

Danny felt pretty rough for the first couple of circles, but as things started to loosen up, he found that it wasn't as bad. It actually felt pretty good, being able to get a little bit of movement back into the joint. He smiled as Grace kept count for him. It was clear that she took her job very seriously, and he was grateful for everyone who allowed this to happen.

"Ten. That's it, Danno. You're all done." Grace popped up as Kerilyn made sure that Danny was okay. She helped him get situated on the low treatment table, propping himself up against a wedge pillow.

Grace tucked herself against his side, positively beaming. She felt good, getting to help her dad. She felt like things were more back to normal, which was what she had been dreaming of.

Kerilyn wheeled a machine over to where Danny was resting. "Okay, Danny. We ended on a good note. We're going to do some muscle stimulation, and some ice. Have you ever had stim done before?"

Danny nodded – after his knee surgery, the PT had done some of the same treatment modalities. "Yeah – I've had an ACL repair. Been there and done that, so to speak."

Kerilyn quickly attached the electrodes, and started the machine. She turned up the machine until Danny felt like it was high enough. She settled the large ice pack so that it molded against the front and back of his shoulder, and left him in his daughter's care.

Danny carefully wrapped his good arm around his daughter, loving the feel of her cuddled against him. "Thanks for your help, Monkey. Kerilyn gave me a few things to do at home – remember your stress ball that Dr. Teleia put in your bag? I have one too – I have to squeeze it at least ten times a day, twenty squeezes each time. Can you help me remember to do that?"

Grace nodded. She would squeeze her ball at the same time. _Anything to help her Danno get better_.

Danny had about ten minutes left of the muscle stim and ice, so he and Grace just spent their remaining time chatting quietly until the buzzer went off.

Steve was using his iPad to touch base with Chin and Kono. They were close to scheduling the Skype session with Murdock's lawyers. The lawyers were stalling, citing Murdock's deteriorating health as a reason, but Chin and the detectives from Newark had been quite insistent that this get done ASAP. Most likely, it would take place two days from now, barring any unforeseen complications.

The entire Five-0 team had done their due diligence in making sure that their case was air tight against Murdock. None of them were at all concerned with his failing health – as far as they were concerned, he was getting what he deserved after nearly killing Grace.

No sooner had he signed off of his device, Danny and Grace were walking towards him. Danny was holding Grace's hand, and they both looked so much lighter than that had in days. It was a great relief to Steve to see it with his own eyes.

Yes, there were still bound to be unexpected bumps along the way, but in the time since this nightmare had started, they at least felt like they were making forward progress – instead of getting trampled at every turn.

"Hey, guys." Steve smiled as Grace skipped over for a hug.

"Hi, Uncle Steve. Did you see me helping Danno? It was fun!"

Danny rolled his eyes. "Yeah, it was a complete blast."

Steve picked up on the sarcasm, knowing that Danny was feeling the after-effects of his session. "I did see you, Gracie. You were a pretty good helper, there."

On his way out the door, Kerilyn stopped him and let him know that Dr. Maclean had called in the prescription and it was ready at the pharmacy, if they wanted to pick it up on their way to Grace's room.

"So…one stop at the pharmacy, and then what say we get you ready to go home, Grace. Does that sound okay?" Danny was exhausted, but smiling, as he saw a brief light sparkle in his daughter's eyes.

That right there…that was what he feared would be missing forever from his baby girl. Subdued or not, his daughter was fighting to find herself – and Danny vowed to do whatever he could to make sure that she never lost herself again.

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	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: For the record, I'm really tired of feeling like garbage. Enough, lungs. Blargh!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Hawaii Five-0, or CBS. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Now, it's time to get Grace home. **

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By the time the three had stopped at the pharmacy and gotten themselves back up to Grace's room, her nurse, Casey, was waiting with Grace's discharge paperwork. There were really no surprises in store – just make sure that she continued to drink plenty of fluids, and increase her activity as tolerated. She would need to follow up with her regular pediatrician, but none of the doctors involved in her care expected any complications – a true miracle, given where she had been just a few days prior.

Casey had reminded them that Grace may be a bit sensitive to high temperatures for a little while longer, and stressed that short periods outside were fine, but longer marathon sessions in the sun should be avoided for the time being.

Steve took all of their bags downstairs, and was grateful that Chin had brought the truck and left it in the parking lot. Once he had all of their gear stowed, he sent a quick text to Kono and Chin, letting them know that Grace was being released. He was hoping that the Five-0 family could get together for a cookout later that afternoon. He didn't think that Grace would be up for a huge bash, but might appreciate the support of an early dinner with friends.

By the time he made it back upstairs, Danny and Grace were seated on the edge of the bed, waiting patiently for their ride. Making one last sweep around the room, Steve grinned as he turned towards the Williams clan. "Are you guys ready to go home?"

Grace smiled the biggest smile Steve had seen in a few days in response to his question. "Let's go, Danno! Come on, Uncle Steve." She grabbed Danny's right hand and Steve's left, and led the way down the hall. As they approached the elevator, they stepped back as the doors opened, wanting to give the occupants space to exit the car.

Steve grinned as he saw who was getting off. "Nalani, hi!"

The young nurse smiled as she caught sight of her former favorite patient. "Hi guys. Grace, it's so good to see you! You look great! Does this mean what I think it does? Are you going home today?"

Grace nodded. "Yep – I get to go home right now."

Danny ruffled his daughter's hair. "We're blowing this popsicle stand. You all have been great, but it's time to get out of here."

Nalani nodded, her eyes twinkling. "I wholeheartedly agree with you. We're glad to take care of you guys, but we really don't want to see you again."

Steve glanced at his watch. "Don't you normally work nights? This is a weird time for you to be here, isn't it?"

Nalani shrugged a shoulder. "Once a month, us nights people get scr…_messed up_…by a staff meeting. So I have a meeting in about twenty minutes, and then am off for the next two nights. I just try to remain heavily caffeinated those days and not become too annoyed."

Steve understood – there was always a sacrifice by someone where meetings were concerned. "Well, to celebrate Miss Grace's release, I'm having a small get-together tonight – probably just Chin, Kono, Danny and I – along with the guest of honor here. You and your husband are more than welcome to stop by, if you're free."

Steve remembered Nalani's kindness in looking after Grace, as well as himself and Danny. He wanted to find a way to say thank you, if at all possible.

"I'll check with him and see if he's got anything going on. If not, we'd love to stop by and celebrate with Grace. Just give me your number, and I'll let you know later this afternoon."

Once they had taken care of the necessary information, they parted ways. Steve watched as Danny and Grace stood stock still as they stepped out into the fresh air. Honestly? Neither one was sure just when they would get to experience this again, and were content to just soak it in for a few minutes.

Steve lightly nudged Danny's arm. "I'll go grab the truck. You guys wait here."

Danny nodded, and sat down on the concrete bench, pulling Grace in between his knees and holding her tight as she sat carefully on his lap. No words were needed – they were both content to just be in the moment, so to speak.

During the few minutes it took for Steve to get to the Silverado and drive it to the front of the hospital, Danny and Grace just breathed each other in. Danny was trying to let go of the fear that had been his constant companion the whole time Grace was in the hospital. Grace was trying to tamp down on the mixed emotions that she was currently facing. She was thrilled to finally be out of the hospital, but was anxious about what lay ahead.

Danny could feel a slight tremble roll through his daughter – not constant, but every so often. "You cold, Monkey?"

Grace shook her head and tucked herself tighter against her dad's chest. She wasn't sure what was wrong – but she kind of felt like she did the first time she popped up on a surfboard. Kono had been holding onto the board, but she still felt off balance. _Wobbly_. That was how she felt – wobbly.

Danny just kissed the top of her head, knowing that something was a bit off. "I love you, baby girl. I love you so much."

Just then, Steve pulled up in front of the bench and hopped out, running around to open the passenger and the back door. He helped Grace climb into the back, and made sure her seatbelt was securely fastened.

Once she was settled, he tried to figure out the best way to help Danny climb into the truck. He finally decided to have Danny turn so that his back was to the seat, and brace his right arm underneath the elbow.

Since Danny couldn't pull with his left, Steve knew he would have to do most of the work, and yet make sure Danny didn't get thrown into the cab. After a bit of awkwardness, he finally had Danny buckled into the front seat and shut the door with a resounding 'thud' – happy to be leaving the hospital behind them.

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The drive back to Steve's house took a short detour, as Danny and Grace needed to stop by Danny's apartment to pick up clean clothes, and some essential 'things to do while recovering' supplies for their stay. Once they had gathered what they needed and tossed everything into a large duffle bag, they were soon back on their way.

Steve was very careful as he drove the fifteen minutes to his house. He could tell by the relative silence that Danny and Grace were wiped out. He was as well, but given the fact that he wasn't currently injured, was better at managing.

Pulling into his driveway, Steve could see that Grace was sleeping in the backseat, and Danny wasn't too far behind her in the front. "Hey, D? We're here." Steve kept his voice low, not wanting to wake Grace. His hope was that he could get her inside to the couch without her waking up.

Danny inhaled deeply and forced his eyes open. He looked over to where Steve was sitting in the driver seat and nodded. "Mmmkay." He opened his door and slid carefully to the ground.

Once Steve was sure that his partner wouldn't faceplant onto the ground, he hurried to open the back door. Grace hadn't stirred, and only twitched slightly as Steve picked her up and held her against his chest.

He kept his steps sure and even as he made his way to the front door. He quickly unlocked the door, and punched in the code to the alarm. Knowing that Danny would be behind him, Steve carefully walked to the couch and set Grace down gently.

She flinched, but quickly settled as Steve gently stroked her hair. "Ssshhh, Gracie. You're okay, sweetheart."

Danny slowly levered himself into the recliner and groaned as his muscles protested. He was already stiffening up from his therapy session – it was unreal how much he hurt, for as little as he had done. He needed a hot shower, but right now, was too tired to do more than sit where he was.

Steve stood up after lightly covering Grace with a throw. Turning to his partner, he could see that Danny was in some pain. He headed for the kitchen, to grab some water so that Danny could take his prescriptions.

He found some cheese and cut up an apple, knowing from experience that Danny would feel better if he took them _not_ on an empty stomach.

By the time he got back out to the living room, Danny was reclined in the chair with his eyes closed. Steve approached quietly, hoping that Danny wasn't asleep enough to startle awake. "Danny?"

Danny opened his eyes. He hadn't been asleep – as cliched as it sounded, he actually _was_ just resting his eyes.

"Here you go. I thought you might want to eat a little something before you took your meds."

Danny nodded and grabbed a cube of the sharp cheddar. He wasn't hungry, but managed enough so that the meds didn't completely mess up his stomach. Once he pushed the plate away, Steve cracked the water bottle open and handed it to him, along with a pain pill and the anti-inflammatory.

He was set to argue about the pain meds, but Steve stopped him. "Danny, just take it. I know you're hurting, and it's not going to go away just because you want it to. There's no reason that you need to be miserable right now. Just relax for a while and let things kick in – I'm going to start to get a few things ready for the grill."

Danny reluctantly nodded – he just wanted things to be back to normal, and was trying not to get frustrated with his limitations. He downed the pills and set the water on the side table. Shifting in the chair, he made sure he could see Grace – and that she could see him when she woke up.

He took the small pillow and shoved it under his arm, bracing his shoulder from pulling too hard. Knowing that his daughter was being watched over, he slowly shut his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

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All told, Danny and Grace napped for about an hour before waking up. Danny was first, and carefully moved to the couch to sit next to his daughter. He lightly started stroking her hair, knowing how much she loved the feeling.

"Hey, Monkey. Can you wake up for me?" Danny gave her time, knowing how much she was _not_ a 'quick to come awake' kind of person.

Before too long, she opened her eyes and looked around the room, confused. "Danno?"

He guided her up so that she was sitting next to him on the couch. "Hey, Grace. We're at Uncle Steve's house, remember? Uncle Chin and Aunt Kono are coming over in a little bit – we're going to have a cookout."

Grace nodded, still not quite awake.

Steve heard them talking and made his way back through the kitchen and into the living room. "Hey, guys. Did you have a good rest?"

Grace smiled sleepily and nodded, raising her arms up. Steve just picked her up, willing to give Grace anything she wanted if it put any sort of a smile on her face.

Grace tucked her head underneath Steve's chin, soaking in the feel of his strength. She wasn't sure why, but she really needed that feeling of safety that Steve provided her.

Danny took advantage and motioned his head towards the shower. "I'm going to get cleaned up. Are you two okay out here, or do you have plans to blow stuff up?"

Steve chuckled, his voice rumbling in Grace's ear. "Nah, we're good. We'll hold off on the explosions, for now at least. Maybe later, if Grace is up for it."

He could see Danny scowl, and grinned, loving how easy it was to push his partner's buttons. "I put the waterproof dressings on the counter in the guest bathroom for you."

Danny nodded his thanks. "And once I'm done, Grace can take a turn and get cleaned up for her welcome home party."

As Danny moved slowly down the hall, Steve moved out onto the lanai and carefully sat in one of the deck chairs. Grace kept up her monkey-like tendencies, and clung to Steve the whole way.

"Gracie, are you okay?" Steve could tell that something was on her mind, but wasn't sure just what it was.

Grace didn't answer him, she just wrapped her arms around his middle and held on tight. She buried her face tighter against his neck and shut her eyes; her breathing starting to escalate a bit.

"It's okay, Grace. Whatever it is, you're okay. Just breathe, kiddo. I want you to breathe with me, okay?"

Steve had no idea what was going on with her, but he picked up on the slight shivering and wrapped his arms more tightly around her small frame. After a few seconds, he felt her start to match her breathing to his, and over the next few minutes, felt her grip lessen slightly.

Whatever had spooked her when she woke up seemed to be fading, thank goodness. Eventually, he felt her sit up, and he glanced down to see a thoroughly defeated look on her face.

"Grace?"

She just shrugged one shoulder miserably. She felt like she was on a roller coaster – one minute she felt like smiling, and the next, she wanted to scream. There was no pattern, and it was making her very frustrated.

Steve hated how sad she seemed again. "One minute at a time, Grace. That's all you can do. I know this is hard, but every day it'll get a little bit easier, I promise. But no matter what, you have nothing to be sorry for, okay?"

Grace's sigh was loud in his ears. Finally, she nodded, although she didn't look completely convinced.

She trusted her Uncle Steve, though, so she really tried to believe his words. As she thought about what he told her, she heard her name being called from the kitchen window.

"Hey, Monkey. Are you ready to get cleaned up? Why don't you grab your clothes, and I put extra towels in there for you. Your bathroom bag is on the sink, too."

Grace gave Steve a quick hug before walking back towards the house. Hopefully the rest of the night would be uneventful, now that her anxiety was lessening somewhat.

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The four adults and Grace sat on blankets in the grass just off of the lanai. Grace hadn't seemed to want to venture too far from the house, and the rest of the dinner party took their cues from her. She had eaten a bit of the fish that Steve had grilled, and had nibbled at the pasta salad that Kono brought. She didn't want any of Chin's coconut cake, but promised him that she would eat some the next day.

Nalani had texted to let them know that she and her husband would not be able to make it, but that they would try to stop by in the next day or so, on one of her days off. So as dinner wound down, the five found themselves enjoying quiet conversation, finally feeling a sense of normalcy after the stress of the past few days.

Grace had been quiet, but wasn't abnormally withdrawn – she was just quiet, and all of the adults knew it was a part of where she was just then. They had kept the conversation low-key, not wanting to ramp up the excitement too much and disturb the solitude that had cocooned their gathering over the last twenty minutes or so.

As the sun started to set, Danny turned to his right, thinking that maybe Grace had fallen asleep, as quiet as she had been.

He was immediately on edge, as he noticed that she was no longer seated on the blanket next to him. She wasn't anywhere that he could see from where he was sitting, and immediately, the hair on the back of his neck stood up.

"Grace?" The panic in Danny's voice had everyone on edge.

"Danny? What is it?" Steve was immediately up on his feet, scanning the yard for hidden danger.

Danny carefully climbed to his feet and looked around. His heart was in his throat as he realized that he had no idea where his daughter was. "Steve? Where's Grace? She's missing!"

Danny whirled around, his eyes wild. "_Grace!_"

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	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: A bit shorter tonight, but I didn't want to make you wait too long. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Hawaii Five-0 or CBS. **

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Steve stepped to Danny's side and held up his hand, ostensibly to stop the rant that was quickly forming. "Let's not panic just yet. Danny, when was the last time you saw her?"

Danny blew out a breath. "She was sitting by me on the blanket. She's been quiet all night, so I wasn't surprised that she wasn't very talkative. I figured she was just taking things in, you know?"

Steve nodded. "I'm not sure what was going on with her, but she was kind of quiet even before dinner. Maybe she's just a little overwhelmed? Let's do a quick search and see if she turns up. Chin, why don't you take the beach. Kono, check the bathrooms – I _really_ don't want to barge in on her if she's in there."

The cousins nodded, both checking to make sure they had their phones in hand.

"Danny, you check downstairs. I'll take upstairs, and let's all keep phones on – whoever finds her, call one of the others, and we'll relay back."

They all scattered to their various areas, with quiet calls of '_Grace? Where are you?'_ echoing throughout the house and yard.

Kono had checked the bathrooms, both upstairs and down, and when she didn't find Grace, headed towards the beach to join Chin in his search.

Danny had checked everywhere he could think of downstairs, including the laundry room – doubting that she would be huddled up in between the washer and dryer, but he didn't want to leave any area unsearched.

Steve thundered up the stairs, hurriedly checking the bedrooms before coming to a screeching halt outside his door. _"She's been quiet all night…she was kind of quiet even before dinner…maybe she's just a little overwhelmed?" _Without warning, all of those thoughts started ping-ponging around his mind, and he shook his head.

_'Would she have remembered? Would she have gone and hid when things got too overwhelming for her?'_ He hurried into his bedroom and knelt down outside the closet door.

Opening it slowly, he was nearly knocked over by the tear-streaked expression on Grace's face. "Oh, God, Grace. Come here, sweetheart!"

Grace launched herself into Steve's arms before wrapping her arms tight around his middle. He couldn't make sense of what she was sobbing, so rather than try just yet, he grabbed his phone and hit the first contact on his speed dial.

"Danny? She's upstairs in my room. Call Chin, and then come up quietly, okay?" He knew that Danny would want to rush headlong up the stairs, and he didn't blame him. But he also knew that Grace was spooked or scared, or both – and it would destroy both of them if Danny's fear upset her in any way.

Satisfied that help would soon arrive, Steve set his phone to the side and slid down the wall, concentrating on the distraught little girl in his lap. He didn't know if she was physically hurt, or whether she was just struggling to come to grips with moving forward.

"Gracie, I need to know if you're hurt anywhere, okay? You don't have to talk right now if you don't want to, but can you at least nod for me? Did you get hurt tonight?"

He could tell that she had shaken her head, and felt the grip around his heart loosen.

"That's good, babe. That makes me feel a whole lot better. Can I ask why you ended up hiding in my closet?" He figured he'd ask, but wasn't expecting much in response.

"_Too big._" Her whisper cut right through him.

"Like I told you about Mary? What was too big, Gracie?"

She wiped her eyes using her shoulders before taking a deep breath. "I don't know, Uncle Steve. I don't. I'm not lying, I promise." Her eyes were wet and her breath hitched, as she got more and more upset.

Steve quickly settled her more closely against his chest. "Grace, no. That's not what I meant. I just want to help you fix this, if I can."

Just then, Danny rushed into the room, terrified at Steve's tone of voice on the phone. At first, he couldn't see where they were, but when he stopped to listen, he heard muffled voices coming from inside the walk-in closet.

"Monkey? Are you in there?" He carefully approached the doorway, not sure what he would find. His heart nearly shattered as he saw how despondent Grace looked as she sobbed into Steve's shirt.

Carefully, he sat down on the floor next to Steve and rested his hand on the back of Grace's head. "Babe, what is it? What's wrong?"

Recognizing Danny's touch, Grace turned and maneuvered her way onto Danny's lap, burying her face into his good shoulder. "I don't know, Danno. I was having fun outside, and then it got all jumpy inside my stomach. I tried to do the breathing like Dr. T showed me, but it didn't help. The more I thought about it, I just felt like I needed to come inside."

She was out and out bawling now, and all Danny and Steve could do was let her know that they were there.

"I thought that if I came inside, I would feel better, but it didn't really work. Then I remembered Uncle Steve telling me about Mary, and how she used to hide when things felt like they were too big – and that was what it felt like. I felt like I was really small, and that everything else around me was too big. It felt like things were going to crash on top of me, and I didn't want be sad any more. Once I came inside, I got scared – I didn't want to get in trouble – so I came up here and hid. It was dark, and it was quiet, and I just didn't want it to be so loud in my head."

She clutched at Danny's arms, which were holding her tight. By now, she was just on the edge of hyperventilating. "I'm s…sorry, Danno. I d…didn't mean to sc…scare you, and I'm…r…really sorry. I don't want to be sa…sad like this – I hate feeling like a big b…baby all the time. I just…I'm really, really s…sorry."

Grace dissolved at that. She was tired of feeling sad and scared, and was angry at herself for freaking out like she did. She thought that once she was home, she would be back to normal – that everything she had been through would just go away and leave her alone. So it bothered her that she sometimes couldn't control the way she felt and acted. She just wanted her family to be proud of her – not to look at her like she was broken, somehow – the way that she saw herself right now.

Danny murmured soothing words into her hair, knowing that she was too upset to really hear him right now. He wasn't completely surprised to see Grace break down like this, if he was being honest with himself. There was no way that one explosive session with Dr. Teleia was all that Grace had inside of her.

Steve was at a loss as to how to help. He was having similar thoughts like Danny – knowing that most likely, there was more of this where Grace was concerned. She had nearly died – and while she was young and resilient, it had to have shaken her to her core. They all just had to be patient, and wait for the bubbles to settle, so to speak.

Steve grabbed a clean t-shirt from the pile and handed it to Danny to wipe Grace's tears.

While the two men were trying to find their footing above her head, Grace's sobs started to slow, as her body picked up on the gentle rocking motion that Danny had started. It took a few minutes before she really became aware of just where she was, and who was holding her close.

She was embarrassed at her meltdown, but reached for the soft cloth that Danny tucked into her hands. Gently, she wiped at her eyes and cheeks, feeling her face flame beneath the cloth. _How would she be able to look at her dad or Uncle Steve again, after falling apart?_

She shifted so that she was not squished up against Danny's shoulder, but kept her head down. Every so often, her breath hitched and caught in her chest – remnants of practically being hysterical. She just tried to breathe and will the headache she had developed to go away.

"Grace? Can you look at me?" Danny's voice was soft – much like one would use on a skittish colt.

After a few moments, Grace finally lifted her tear-stained eyes to meet her dad's.

"I love you, baby girl. You know that, right? You are the single most important thing in my life, and it kills me that you are so sad."

Grace started to protest, but Danny cut her off. "Not because you've done anything wrong. Unless you woke up this morning, and made plans to purposely run in here and hide hoping we would worry, then there's nothing that you need to apologize for. Okay?"

Grace chewed on her bottom lip, but eventually nodded.

Steve reached out and took her hand. "And Grace? The only thing that maybe you could do differently next time is just tell one of us that things are too much or too big, and let us know that you need some down time. None of us are going to be angry at you for needing someplace quiet. Why do you think I like to swim or go for a run? Because it helps my head settle down."

Danny jumped in. "I know I don't do it all of the time, but that's why I like to cook and make Nonna's recipes that take a long time to make. I like to concentrate on that, and clear my thoughts."

Grace wiped at her eyes again. "I'm just tired of feeling like I won't get better. I don't want this to be the way it will be forever."

Danny caught her up in another hug, before placing a kiss on top of her head. "Aww, Monkey. I promise you it will get better. It's only been a few days since you woke up in the hospital, and it's only been a few hours since you came to Uncle Steve's house. This is going to take some time."

Steve lightly tugged on her braid. "But no matter what, Grace…you're not alone right now. We're all here for you, however you need us to be. The only thing we want you to do is try to let us know what you need. Even if you're not sure what that is – maybe we can all work together and figure it out."

Grace's breath stuttered as she tried to calm herself down. She wiped at her face with the shirt, taking a few seconds to breathe in the faint smell of Uncle Steve's cologne – it was a little thing, but breathing it in made her feel kind of like she was wrapped up in her Danno's and Uncle's arms, safe from the thoughts and fears inside of her head.

Danny lightly rubbed her back. "Hey, Grace? Would it be okay if Uncle Steve picked you up and we went back downstairs or to the guest room? My butt is kind of numb from sitting on the floor, and if it falls asleep, I'll never stand up." He was grinning at her, so she knew that he was teasing.

Steve rolled to his feet, and reached for his niece.

She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. She was suddenly incredibly tired, so she rested against his shoulder as he picked her up and moved towards the doorway and on towards the guest room.

Danny knew that he should probably settle her down for bed – it had been an incredibly long day for everyone involved. Knowing his daughter, though, she would want to say goodnight to Chin and Kono – so he started down the stairs to where he knew they would be waiting.

"Hey, you two. She's had a long night, and is about done, if you want to come up and say goodnight. I know she would be very sad to not see you two before she went to sleep."

Chin and Kono quietly came upstairs to say their goodbyes, giving Danny a chance to put Grace's pajamas in the bathroom and grab the chewable Tylenol he had packed in his bag.

Kono just hugged her close, knowing that she was struggling to make sense of everything. Fully aware of that sense of grief, she made a note to talk to Steve and Danny tomorrow – wanting to make sure they knew that she was there for them if they needed her to be.

Chin sat down next to her and lightly stroked her hair. "I'm proud of you, keiki. You might get knocked down sometimes, but you're not letting this beat you. That takes bravery, Grace. Not everyone can do that."

Grace just rested her head against his shoulder, drawing on his silent strength. "Thanks." It was only one word, but it was enough for everyone to hear.

The cousins shared their assurances that they would be available however and whenever Steve and Danny needed them, and slowly left Steve's house, leaving Danny, Steve and Grace upstairs.

"Now. I think it's time for bed for all of us." Danny looked around the room and realized that they all had various stages of dark circles underneath their eyes. A good night's sleep would hopefully do wonders for all three of them.

"Grace, I can sleep in the other guest room, or I can stay in here. Whatever you want me to do, Monkey." He wanted to give her some control, but knew that she was still quite tentative when it came to being on her own.

"In here." She was fading fast, but had one more request. "Uncle Steve? Can you…will you…" She trailed off, suddenly embarrassed.

Steve came around and sat on the edge of the bed. "What is it, Grace? You can ask me anything – you know that, right?"

She nodded. "It's just…would you stay until I fall asleep? I guess I just feel safe with both of you here."

Danny and Steve weren't worried about the request – they knew that once she started to regain her footing, the clinginess would start to dissipate.

Steve smiled and nodded. "I have a better idea, if you don't mind. It'll be just like camping." He hurried into his bedroom and came back holding a sleeping bag and pillow.

"You and Danno can get comfy there, and I'll bunk down here by the door. That way, you've got double the protection for your first night home. What do you think?"

Grace's shy smile was all that they needed to see. Tomorrow, they would see how things went, but would keep their options open as far as calling Dr. Teleia went. She had reassured them that if they ever needed her, to contact her. The two adults were hoping that a new day would bring new confidence for Grace.

However, if tomorrow warranted it, then they would make some calls and do whatever Grace needed them to do. But for tonight, the three were camped out in the guest room, being grateful for the company and the safety in numbers – something that was beneficial to all of them.

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	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Thanks for the new alerts, reviews, and follows. I really appreciate each and every one of you. Without going into massive details, let's just say that this week was an emotional butt-kicking for me. In trying to learn from it, I'm even more grateful for friendships I've made here, and hope you all know just how much I am thankful for you.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to CBS or Hawaii Five-O, and no copyright infringement is intended.**

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Steve dozed for a couple of hours before startling awake. He stayed still, letting his eyes and ears adjust to the quiet darkness as he tried to sort out what he had heard.

He heard it again, and instantly knew what it was. _Grace_. She was sniffling quietly, obviously not wanting to wake Danny, but clearly upset.

He sat up and glanced over to where his partner was _finally_ sound asleep, and saw Grace sitting up with her knees pulled tight up against her. He knew that Danny had barely gotten any rest earlier in the evening – instead he tossed and turned, keeping a close eye on his daughter.

He wanted to give Danny a little more time to sleep, if he could, so he carefully stood up, and quickly placed one finger over his mouth as Grace jerked her head up. She clearly wasn't expecting to wake anyone up.

Steve moved to her side and held his arms out. Grace immediately reached for him, wrapping her arms tight around his neck.

Steve quietly hurried them downstairs before settling onto the couch. "Grace, what's wrong? What is it?"

She shook her head before whispering, "I had a bad dream."

Steve shifted so that he had her more comfortably settled in his arms and kissed the top of her head. "Do you want to tell me about it?" He knew there were only a couple hours left until sunrise – maybe if she talked about it, she'd be able to go back to sleep.

She just clutched at his t-shirt in response.

He stroked his hand up and down her back. "It's okay, Gracie. You don't have to talk about it right now. Can you sit here for a minute while I run up and put a note next to Danno's head? I don't want him to wake up and not know where you are."

He shifted her over so that she was sitting by herself, tucked up against the arm and back of the couch. She looked unsure, but nodded, clutching a pillow to her chest.

"I'll hurry, okay?" Grace blinked her brown eyes tiredly, looking ready to cry at any minute. It nearly tore Steve's heart from his chest.

Quietly, he hurried up the stairs, stopping in the master bedroom for a piece of paper from the pad next to his bed. He scribbled one word – '_Lanai_' and carefully made his way to the guest room. He put the paper on Grace's pillow, knowing that Danny would recognize his writing when he woke up.

Satisfied that his partner was still sleeping soundly, he tiptoed his way back downstairs, where Grace was watching for him to return. Her gaze met his the second he stepped off of the bottom step, and he quickened the pace to reach her side.

He picked her up, hating that she was trembling slightly. "Want to go sit outside? I know that I always loved listening to the sound of the waves whenever I had a bad night."

She nodded against his chest, and he immediately turned for the glass doors leading to the lanai. He grabbed a bottle of juice from the fridge, and swiped a soft cotton throw from the back of the couch before making his way outside.

Settling himself against the cushions of the lawn chair, he tucked Grace against his chest. Once she was comfortable, he wrapped the throw around both of them and relaxed against the padded back of the chair. "There we go. How's that?"

"_Good._" Grace's voice was just a whisper, and he gently kissed the top of her head.

"I'm glad, Gracie. Remember what we talked about earlier. You're not alone in any of this. Your dad and I – and Chin and Kono – all want to help you, however we can. No matter what else is going on in your head, just remember that we love you. Right?"

Grace nodded almost imperceptibly, but it was there.

Steve knew that he needed to get Grace's mind off of her dream – but he didn't just want to sweep it underneath the proverbial rug. "Grace, I want you to listen to me, okay? I know that your dream scared you. Bad dreams do that to people – even me. But having a bad dream and not talking about it is kind of like a big balloon that is tied off. All of the air stays in it, just like all of the dream stays inside of you. Does that make sense?"

He waited for her nod before he continued. "But if you talk about it, it's like you poke a little hole in the balloon and the air starts to go out of it. It gets smaller and smaller, and before you know it, it's just an ugly little thing that doesn't work like it's supposed to. I'm not going to tell you that you have to talk about it right now – but Grace, I think you would feel better if you did."

She was quiet for a few minutes, completely unsure as to whether or not she wanted to talk. _She didn't want her dad to get mad at her for not telling him, but maybe it would be easier if she talked to Uncle Steve_?

Finally, she took a deep breath and let it out. "I…I was there again…in the box. But this time, instead of you saving me, it was a different man – he opened the box, and he told me that I would never see Danno again. Or you, or Uncle Chin or Aunt Kono. He said that nobody was looking for me, and that you all forgot about me already."

Her eyes were wet, but she was battling to stay relatively calm. Steve knew that by talking about it, however briefly, she was taking some of the control back.

"Grace, do you believe what he said in your dream? That nobody looked for you?" Steve shifted a little so that he could look at her.

She shook her head. "I know you looked for me - you all did. But in my dream, it seemed so real…like it was really happening." She wiped at a tear that broke free.

Steve gathered her up into a tight hug. "Here's what I think is going on. I think that your mind and your body are really tired. You slept in the hospital, but it wasn't a really good restful sleep. I also think that your brain is trying to make sense of everything that happened. I want to see if I can remind your brain of a few things, okay?"

She turned so that she was a little more sideways with one ear pressed against Steve's chest.

"First of all, you are 100% safe now. Mr. Murdock is the man who did some very bad things – to you and to your dad when he took you. He is now in jail, and will spend the rest of his life there. Gracie, he can't and won't ever hurt you again…I promise you that."

Steve held out a fist, remembering how much fun she had trying to explain a 'fist bump' to him. She didn't know that he already knew what it was, but he played along because of how much fun she was having. She gave a half-smile and punched his fist lightly before tucking her arm back underneath the cotton blanket.

"Second of all, there is absolutely no way _ever_ that any of us could ever forget you. You are the most important person in your dad's life – I know you know that. But what you might not know is just how important you are to me, too. Grace, nobody has loved me like you do in a very long time. You don't ever ask me for anything in return – you just accept me as your Uncle Steve, and for whatever reason, that's good enough for you. That means the world to me."

He swallowed hard as she wrapped her arms around his middle. Her trembling had slowed, and whether it was because she was letting go of some of the anxiety, or because the blanket had chased the chill from the air, he didn't know or care. He was just glad that she seemed to be feeling a little bit better.

Steve spent the next fifteen minutes or so trying to keep her mind off of what woke her. He decided that describing some of the stories and legends he had grown up on – using the night sky as a backdrop for his narration - would be the perfect solution. His storytelling was twofold – he wanted to distract her further from her nightmare, and he also hoped that the repetitive sound of his voice might lull her to sleep. He knew that she was exhausted – and that she was sorely in need of good and restful, healing sleep.

At first, Grace's gaze never wavered as he told stories of the _Menehune_, and the hard work that they did to create a pathway of rocks in one night. He told tales of _Hiʻiaka_, and of _Pele_, and of the stories that described how the islands were formed – all of which had Grace's attention until she finally drifted off into a deep sleep; safe with the sound of Steve's voice rumbling in her ear, and safe with the feel of his arms guarding her from her nightmares.

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Danny jerked awake, instantly sensing that something was off. He carefully sat up and turned, panicking once he realized he was alone in the guest room.

His panic abated, however, as his hand rested on the paper on Grace's pillow; the noise catching his attention enough to read the one word printed in Steve's messy scrawl.

He saw that it was barely light outside, so he quickly used the restroom and headed down the stairs. The room was cool from the ocean breeze coming through the slightly opened lanai door. He was a little concerned at the lack of noise, but his worries were immediately eased at the sight that met him as he stepped through the doorway.

Steve was sound asleep in the deck chair, with Grace curled up against his chest. They both had a peaceful expression on their face that Danny wanted to capture forever. It was the least haunted that either of them had looked since all of this crap had happened to them.

Steve had one arm securely wrapped around Grace, making sure that she was cocooned in the blanket. Even in sleep, he wasn't willing to relax his guard, where Grace was concerned.

Danny wanted to capture the peace on his daughter's face, so he carefully took his cell phone from his pocket and brought up the camera app using one hand. Quietly, he snapped a few pictures of the two of them. He figured that Steve wouldn't turn down a copy or two.

His phone scraped along the wooden arm of the second deck chair as he sat down, bringing Steve immediately to _'protect at all costs_' mode.

Danny held up a hand, hoping to calm Steve before he woke Grace up. "It's okay, Steve. It's just me." Danny's voice was just a whisper, as he wanted to give his daughter a little more time to sleep if he could.

Steve glanced down, needing to reassure himself that Grace was indeed, still sleeping soundly. Satisfied that things were okay, he let out a breath and turned his head towards where Danny was watching him fondly.

"Comfy?" Danny could not help but grin at his partner. It was very rarely that Steve let his guard down, but where Grace was concerned, the guard tower was completely abandoned – she was fully in and around every breath Steve took.

Steve smiled in return. "Yeah. She had a bad dream – I'm not sure what woke me up, but when I sat up, I could see her sitting on the guest bed. You were finally sleeping, so I just brought her down here. I could tell that she was still tired, but she wasn't really thrilled with going back to bed, so we decided to come out and listen to the waves."

Danny just shook his head. "Freaking water creatures, the two of you." He wasn't mad – truth be told, he was glad that his daughter shared something with Steve that was so important to him. He knew that it made Steve feel just a little less alone, and that was perfectly fine with him.

"How was she after you came out here?" Danny wasn't feeling that same sense of alarm as earlier – maybe getting a good night's sleep had helped him some.

Steve kept his voice low. "I finally got her to talk a little bit about her dream. It was basically that Murdock found her and told her that she was alone and that nobody was looking for her. I really think that she's coming to terms with a lot of what happened, but still is a little afraid of being alone."

Danny almost snorted. "Is it wrong that I'm having some of those same fears? I almost can't let her out of my sight – but I know that she needs to get back to some sense of normal, whatever that is."

Steve reached one hand out and clasped Danny's forearm. "I know, D. I do. She's getting there – I know you see that. But it's only been a few days – we all just have to be a little more forgiving of ourselves and cut ourselves a little slack."

At Danny's disbelieving look, Steve at least had the decency to look a little sheepish. "Yeah, I know. Pot…kettle…and all of that. I'm preaching to the choir, I know. But I had a little time to think once Grace fell back to sleep, and while on one hand, I want nothing more than to fly to New Jersey and remove Murdock from this earth once and for all. On the other hand, I know I can't do that. But the more that we let him dictate our feelings…the more he wins. And I'll be damned if I'm going to let that fucking asshole win."

Danny held his breath as Grace stirred in Steve's arms. Steve did as well – he knew that he nearly flew off of the handle and easily could have woken Grace up.

Thinking that they were off the hook, the two men settled more comfortably in the deck chairs. The sun would be fully up soon, and they could get on with their day.

Steve was not prepared, however, for a tiny sharp finger poking into his ribs. Glancing down, he was met with the sleepy brown eyes of his niece. She was scowling tiredly at him as she piped up. "Two quarters, Uncle Steve. Those were not very nice words."

She smiled as her Uncle Steve turned red in the early morning dawn, knowing that he got caught. She knew that the bad word went along with her uncle wanting to protect her, and that made it okay with her. But Danno always told her that rules were rules; and even if you were breaking them for a good reason, there was always a consequence for breaking the rule.

So she needed to be strict with Uncle Steve – he broke the swearing rule, and he would have to pay two quarters into her jar. At the rate her ohana was going, if they kept it up for much longer, she would be able to buy herself that pair of dolphin earrings that she saw at the mall.

She drifted back to sleep with the warm sounds of her dad and uncle chuckling softly. It was one of those sounds that she filed away in her mind's box full of safe things - the certain way that her Danno and her Uncle Steve's shirts smelled as she was being hugged; the feel of being carried by her dad, even though she was ten; the knowledge that Uncle Steve was brave enough to save her; knowing that her family would always be there for her – things that made it feel like everything would eventually be okay.

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	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: I'm honestly not sure where a chunk of this chapter came from - it was not in the original plans. But the muse said otherwise, and who am I to argue with her? She can get cranky, and quite unpleasant to be around. I find that it's better to just agree with her.**

**I'm sorry I couldn't get to individual replies for the past week or so. There are still a few bumps and bruises in my world, and I'm just trying to find my footing again.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Hawaii Five-0 or CBS. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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Grace slept for another hour before startling awake. She glanced around wildly before her eyes locked onto the worried gaze of both her father and her uncle.

"Monkey? It's okay – you're at Uncle Steve's house. Remember?" Danny kept his voice low, not wanting to startle her further. He lightly rubbed his hand along her arm, trying to ground her and get her more awake.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She hadn't been dreaming, really – but there had been thoughts bouncing around inside her head and she wasn't sure what was real or not. She knew that she was safe, but if that were true, why was her stomach all tied up?

Steve shifted so that he could place her onto Danny's lap. "I'm going to run inside and get breakfast started. Are pancakes okay with everyone?"

He was pleased to see the haunted look start to fade from Grace's eyes. Maybe it was just waking up outside that had her spooked a bit?

Grace nodded. "They sound good, Uncle Steve. Right, Danno?"

Danny rubbed her back as she cuddled against him. "Can't wait, Monkey. They are just what I need before I have to go see Kerilyn again."

Steve nodded. "We still have a couple of hours before you have to be there. Grace, do you want to go with your dad while he does his therapy, or do you want to have Aunt Kono come over? She mentioned something about nails and painting – I'm guessing she doesn't mean fixing up my house, right?"

Grace rolled her eyes and grinned. "No, Uncle Steve. She wants us to paint our nails. That sounds kind of fun. Is that okay, Danno?"

Danny smiled warmly at his daughter as Steve headed inside to make breakfast. _If she wanted to spend time with Kono doing relatively normal things, then he certainly wasn't going to stand in her way._ "Of course it's okay. Unless there is makeup involved. Then, it is absolutely not okay for you to grow up too fast. But if it's just making your fingers and toes all pretty, then I'm all for some girl time with Auntie Kono."

Grace looked serious for a minute. "But Danno – if you want me to come and help you with your exercises, I will. I know I'm supposed to be your helper." She was a bit worried, but Danny quickly put her at ease.

"Aww, Grace. You are the best helper _ever_. But this time, you can help me by having fun. I don't think I'm going to be doing any cool stuff yet with Kerilyn, and in case I have any homework, Uncle Steve can learn what to do, and then show you how to help me at home, okay?"

Grace seemed to relax just a little at his words. She hated being confused like this – she wanted to stay with her dad, but wanted to spend time with Auntie Kono, too.

Danny knew his daughter well, and knew that she was at war with herself over wanting to help him and wanting to be a little girl again. After everything she'd been through – he really wanted her to have something normal to be excited about. "I promise, Grace. I want you to stay and have a good time with Kono – I will feel better if I know that you're smiling and doing girly things that I'm not very good at."

Grace cocked her head to the side. "But Danno…you _are_ really good at painting my nails. The last time we did manicures, you didn't smudge them at all."

Steve snorted as he poked his head outside. _What he wouldn't give to have seen Danny painting Grace's nails._

Danny just glared and shook his head. Leave it to Super Seal to have super hearing. "Yes, Steve. I paint my daughter's nails. So what?"

Steve grinned. "Seriously, Danny? I love that you will do anything to make sure Grace is happy. It's what makes you such a good dad."

Danny flushed slightly, unsure of whether Steve was giving him a hard time or not, but not awake enough to care. "Thanks." He shifted so that Grace was standing on the deck, and braced his arm against the deck chair and stood up. As Steve led the procession into the kitchen for breakfast, Danny pulled his phone out.

"I'll be there in a minute. I need to put a call in to Dr. Maclean. I'm not sure if it's just soreness in my shoulder or what, but I'm going to see if he will change the post-surgery antibiotic I was on. I kind of feel like it's not working that well. I know I only have a few days left, but I want to stop anything that's trying to start up."

Steve stopped him with a hand on his arm. "You okay? Do you need to go and see the doc?"

Danny shook his head. "No…I'll just have him switch the meds. I just feel like there might be a bit of a low grade fever and feel kind of wiped out. Although, it's hard to tell if the wiped out is follow up from the surgery or from being scared shitless for my daughter."

Steve nodded. "If you're sure. We can swing by after you see Kerilyn, though. Or you can cancel Kerilyn and get in sooner, if you want."

Danny shrugged. "I shouldn't need to – Doc can just call it in, and I can start it later today. If things don't get better in a day or two, I'll go in and let them take a look. I really don't think it's anything to worry about – I wouldn't try to hide that from you or Grace. She's been through enough, you know?"

Steve understood where he was coming from. But it didn't mean that he wouldn't keep a close eye out on his best friend. "Well, I'll get Grace started on her pancakes while you make your call. I'll try to get her to save some for you, but I've seen her demolish pancakes like they were being discontinued from the breakfast world."

Danny chuckled as he thumbed the number into his phone. "Get too close and she might stab you with a fork. She _really_ loves pancakes." He stepped into the living room to make his call, while Steve headed towards the kitchen.

Grace's jubilant reaction to Steve coming into the kitchen was just the medicine Danny needed as he waited for the surgeon's office to connect. As the receptionist connected, he quickly explained his concerns. It wasn't long before Dr. Maclean was on the phone as well. Past allergies noted, he agreed to switch the antibiotic, and wanted to see Danny in the office in 48 hours if there was no improvement. An infection could quickly set into the bone if they weren't careful, and that would be disastrous for Danny if it happened.

As Danny joined his family in the kitchen, he smiled as Grace practically had her cheeks stuffed with pancakes. He was so grateful that her appetite appeared to be returning, although he noticed it was hit and miss. If pancakes were a hit, he'd certainly take whatever she was willing to eat.

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"_Fuck!_" Danny was trying not to cry out as Kerilyn used her thumbs to dig into a large knot that had formed in the muscle surrounding the front of his shoulder. She wasn't working his whole shoulder, as she had commented on the low grade fever he was running. She was working in a more localized area this time around.

"I'm sorry, Danny." She looked apologetic as she worked. She knew that she was hurting him, but in the long run, working those knots out would be beneficial. Scar tissue could easily form in injuries like his, and she wanted to try to combat it before it got worse. Scarring could trap nerves, and result in potentially permanent damage to his arm.

As he started using his arm more, the muscles would stay more pliable, but while his arm was immobilized, he was at risk for large amounts of pain down the road if he wasn't careful.

"I know…I just didn't think I could get knots like that in my armpit." He grimaced as she worked into another sore spot.

"You'd be surprised at how much your pecs can tighten up. It's not a muscle people normally spend time stretching out, and then with you keeping your arm stationary – I just don't want it to be worse later on down the road." Kerilyn finished her session with more gentle massage, which gave Danny time to regain his composure.

He had been just about ready to ask her to stop – it was _almost_ more than he could take. Fortunately, she was nearly done. Because of his fever, she didn't want to inflame things further, so she had him skip the range of motion exercises he had done the last time.

He just had the ice and muscle stim left to go before he was finished for the day. She hadn't done anything new this time, so there wasn't anything different for him to do at home. She just wanted him to keep up the same routine at home, and she would see him in two days.

After the timer had gone off and roused him from his fifteen minutes of iced-down bliss, she unstuck the pads and helped him get the sling back on. As she walked him to the front desk, she reminded him to call the doctor if anything changed, or if he thought the new antibiotic wasn't working.

He shook his head, as she made sure that Steve was included in her reminder. There would be no stopping him now that he had instructions to follow.

Thanking her, they headed towards the truck, and onto the pharmacy to pick up his new medication. He figured he'd take it once he got home and let it start working, rather than waiting until morning to start the regimen.

Danny sat back against the seat, his eyes closed. Even though he had gotten a good night's sleep, he was still beyond tired. He hoped that they all would get caught up soon – there was only so much time before the body rebelled against exhaustion.

Feeling the truck pull into the parking space, Danny reached for his seatbelt, but Steve motioned him to stop. "You stay here – I'll run in and grab your prescription. I figured I'd grab some chicken and we could just grill for dinner tonight. Does that sound okay?"

Danny nodded. "Grace likes teriyaki sauce – can you grab some of that, too? Maybe she'd eat a little more?"

Steve agreed as he jumped out of the truck. "I'll be back in a bit – try not to cause any trouble while I'm gone, okay?"

Danny would have flipped him off, but he was too tired, so he just resumed his comfortable position from earlier and willed his shoulder to stop throbbing. Even after having the ice on it, it was pretty pissed off. He didn't like taking them, but he knew he might have to resort to a pain pill when he got back to Steve's.

After about ten more minutes, Steve opened the truck up and set the bags in the back seat. "Okay. I got everything. How are you holding up?"

Danny shrugged his shoulder. "It's pretty sore right now. I may just crash for a while when we get back to your house, if you don't mind keeping an eye on Grace for me."

Steve assured Danny that whatever he needed to do was fine with him. He drove home quickly, trying desperately to avoid sudden stops and start that might jerk Danny's arm. Fortunately, luck was on their side as they were able to get home relatively unscathed, minus a sudden slam on the brakes to avoid a stray dog.

Steve knew that Danny wouldn't want him hovering, so once he was parked, he grabbed the groceries from the back seat and met Danny on the path leading up to the door. Holding the door open, he ushered Danny inside, meeting Kono's gaze with a look that immediately conveyed his concerns.

Danny wearily made his way to the couch and sat down gingerly. He needed to stretch out and let his meds kick in, but wanted to spend a few minutes with Grace, too. "Hey, Monkey. How was the pedi-party?"

Grace giggled as she carefully perched herself next to Danny. "See? Kono painted every nail a different color, and then made my toes match. Isn't it beautiful?"

Danny smiled as he saw light in his daughter's eyes. "It sure is, baby girl. It sure is." He leaned over and kissed the top of her head, breathing in the fruity scent of her shampoo.

Grace carefully hugged his arm, loving cuddle time with her dad. It always made her feel better, and today was no exception.

Just then, Steve came into the room with a bottle of water and three pills in his hand. "Here you go, Danny. Your new med, the anti-inflammatory that you forgot at breakfast, and a pain pill."

Danny made a face as he downed all three pills. He _had_ forgotten his meds this morning. He had been so happy to see Grace acting more like herself that he truly just forgot to take them.

It was only just after noon, so he wasn't too far off of his schedule, which was good. The only medication that was three times a day was the new antibiotic – the pain pill was every four hours as needed, and the anti-inflammatory was twice a day. He would be fine if he took it again at bedtime and got back on schedule.

Steve gestured towards the kitchen. "And I see that your daughter has been busy putting lunch together. I'll go grab it and will be right back."

Grace was beaming as Steve went to retrieve her surprise. "Me and Auntie Kono made lunch. It's all easy stuff that you can eat with your hands – I thought you would like it after having to do your exercises. I know your arm hurt a little bit last time."

Danny reached for her hand and squeezed. "I love that idea, Monkey. Thank you so much for thinking of me."

Steve returned with a platter of sandwich quarters, cut-up fruit, and cookies. There were also bottles of juice and water, which Kono hurried to grab for their impromptu picnic. Once everyone was seated near the coffee table, plates were passed out.

Kono looked to Danny and Steve. "Chin wanted to come over, but he was having some trouble with the bike. He needed to get a part for it, but said if he got things up and running, he would stop by later."

Grace grinned at that news. She loved when her whole ohana got together.

They all chatted quietly through lunch, although Steve noticed that Danny really didn't eat very much. As long as he had something in his stomach to protect against the medication, he should be okay. He nudged Danny's foot and motioned towards the stairs.

Danny nodded and turned towards Grace. "Hey, Monkey. I'm kind of tired after therapy. I'm going to go rest for a little while. Are you good to hang out with Uncle Steve and Auntie Kono?"

Grace nodded happily, although she had a bit of a concerned look on her face. "I will, but I'm going to tuck you in bed first, okay?"

Danny had to smile at how loving his daughter was. Regardless of anything else in his life, he was very proud of the type of daughter he had helped raise. "Well, let's get to it, then. You've got more playing to do."

Grace carefully held onto Danny's hand as he climbed the stairs. Once he was in the guest room, she bent down and untied his shoes so that he could kick them off easier. She fluffed up his pillows before pulling the comforter down, leaving only the sheet to throw over him if he wanted it.

Satisfied that he was tucked in comfortably, Grace leaned over to kiss his forehead before hugging him gently. "Have a good sleep, Danno. I'll be downstairs if you need anything. Your phone is on the table, and Uncle Steve sent a water bottle up for you, too."

Danny was already starting to doze, but mumbled "Thanks, Grace. I love you."

Grace kissed him one more time. "Love you too, Danno." She quietly left the room, leaving the door opened in case Danny needed to call for anything.

When she got back downstairs, she settled on the floor as Kono put in a movie. Steve was perched in the armchair, catching up on some e-mails that he had neglected. None of them wanted to venture outside – at least not until Danny was awake, so they figured some downtime would not be unwelcomed.

After about thirty minutes had passed, Grace heard the telltale sign of Chin's motorcycle outside. Tugging on Kono's hand, she pulled her towards the door. "Uncle Chin is here!"

The two girls headed for the door, while Steve shut things down on his laptop. As he was putting the computer away, he felt his phone vibrate on his hip.

What he saw on the screen had him rushing up the stairs, yelling for Kono or Chin and for Grace to stay downstairs. His mind was focused on the one word that had come from Danny's phone, as he took the stairs three at a time. The one word that had sent his heart plummeting..."_Help!"_

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	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Confession time: I had most of this written as part of Chapter 25, but darn it, the muse wanted a cliffhanger, so I broke it in half. Blame her...I often do. **

**T****he good news is that I now have the next chapter ready to go so you get the Tuesday update today (see how nice I was for fixing that cliffhanger?). The bad news is, I probably won't be able to update again until the normal Saturday posting. It's the last week before Spring Break and the end of the quarter for grades, and my students are ape-poop nuts right now, LOL. **

**Thanks for all of the reviews, follows, and alerts. You guys helped make a bad couple of weeks more bearable, and I appreciate it tremendously.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Hawaii Five-0 or CBS, and no copyright infringement is intended.**

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As he burst through the door, he could see that something wasn't right with Danny. He was sitting up on the edge of the bed, but was hunched over with his good elbow on his knee. His breathing was off as well – wheezing punctuated with the occasional cough.

"Danny?" Steve rushed around to kneel in front of his friend. He immediately could see that Danny was in trouble.

"Can't…breathe…chest…hurts…dizzy..." Danny's voice was hoarse, and Steve could tell that his airway was at the very least, swollen. He kept tugging at the neck of his t-shirt, as if it would help, but Steve knew that the effort was futile.

"Danny, hang on, man." Steve had his phone out as Kono ran into the room. He tossed the phone to her.

"Get EMS here, now. Tell them that he may be suffering from anaphylactic shock, and that he has increased difficulty breathing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. He's also complaining of chest pain and dizziness."

Steve was floored as he rattled off the information to Kono. _How in the hell had their good day turned so bad, so fast?_

Danny was starting to panic, which wasn't helping his symptoms at all. "Grace?"

Steve placed a hand on Danny's arm. "She's downstairs with Chin. She's okay."

Danny shook his head as he coughed and wheezed and fought to catch his breath. "Don't want…her…to see…this."

Steve nodded his understanding. "Don't try to talk, Danny. I'll take care of it, okay?"

Kono finished relaying the information to the paramedics, and was told that they were en route. "Two minutes." She came around the bed at Steve's gesture, and took his place.

"I'm going to go talk to Grace. Just try to keep him calm, okay?" He hurried downstairs, where Steve's yell had obviously scared Grace. She was curled up in Chin's lap with tears streaming down her face.

"Aww, Gracie. Come here, babe." Steve picked her up and tucked her close to his chest. "I'm sorry I scared you. I was just a little bit worried about your dad. He got a new medicine today, and when he took it, it made him kind of sick. We called, and the ambulance is going to come and take him to the hospital for a checkup."

Grace looked horrified. "Is Danno going to die, Uncle Steve?"

Steve just squeezed her tight. "No, sweetheart. He's not going to die. But he needs the doctors to make sure the bad medicine is out of his system before they send him back home. Does that make sense?"

Grace nodded, her eyes huge and shimmering wet. "I just don't want him to die, Uncle Steve."

Steve kissed her head. "And he's not going to. The doctors will help him get rid of the bad medicine, and will probably have him rest for a little bit, just to make sure he's feeling better. And then he'll get to come back here. I will make sure of it. Now what I want you to do, is go with Uncle Chin. He can take my truck. What if you two went to the store, and found a get well present for your dad? Then you guys can come to the hospital and see Danno, just as soon as the doctors say it's okay. What do you think?"

Steve and Chin locked eyes above Grace's head, and Chin nodded. No words were necessary. Chin knew that his priority was Grace, and that his project needed to start _now._ "Okay, keiki. Let's get this show on the road. While we're driving, we can figure out what you think your dad would like, and then hit the store. You'll have him feeling better in no time."

Chin was matter of fact, as he swung Grace into his arms. He knew that EMS would be on their way, and wanted to shield Grace from that, if he could.

As the two left the house, Steve hurried back upstairs. As soon as he was in the room, he could tell that Danny was worse. He was sweaty and extremely pale, and was still very restless and agitated, fighting for every breath.

Steve quickly looked to Kono. "EMS should be here soon – can you go and let them in?" He sat back down next to Danny as Kono rushed from the room. "Grace is with Chin. They're going to run an errand and meet us at the hospital in a little while. So you can relax – she's safe, and you're going to get some help soon."

Danny's coughing was getting worse, as was the high-pitched wheezing. He was almost panting with the effort of breathing, and Steve was afraid that if help didn't arrive soon, Danny would tire from the effort. If that were to happen, Steve would need to begin emergency lifesaving measures.

Fortunately, the wail of the sirens interrupted the quiet neighborhood, and Steve sighed in relief. "See, Danny. Paramedics are here. Just hang tight…you're going to be okay." Steve kept up the soft words of encouragement, hoping that they would help to ground Danny.

Danny clutched at Steve's arm. "Take…care…of…Grace. Tell…her…"

Steve shook his head. "Danny, you're going to be okay. I'll take care of Grace while you're in the hospital, but you can tell her whatever you want when you see her."

He had seen guys display that sense of doom, and to be honest, it scared the crap out of him. He hoped that Danny was just anxiety-ridden, and not truly feeling like he was going to die. He had seen too many self-fulfilling prophecies during his time in the SEALs – when patients felt like that, there wasn't much medically that would stop it from happening.

Before too much longer, thankfully, Steve heard the sound of footsteps pounding up the stairs. Two men entered, pulling a gurney between them. "Hey, guys. I'm Brandon, and this is my partner Kai. What's going on?"

Brandon quickly moved to Danny's side while Steve scooted out of the way. "This is Detective Danny Williams. He's a week post shoulder surgery, and switched antibiotics today due to a low grade fever. He took the first dose of penicillin approximately 50 minutes ago, and now is having difficulty breathing and his airway appears swollen."

Brandon grabbed a quick set of vital signs, and even Steve could tell that Danny was not doing very well. His heart rate on the monitor was 137, his blood pressure was only 96/60, and his respiratory rate was 32 very shallow breaths per minute.

Kai quickly secured an oxygen mask to Danny's face. "Okay, Danny. Here's what we need you to do. Just breathe. I know it feels like you can't breathe, but you're doing okay. We're going to give you a shot of epinephrine and get an IV started."

Danny shook his head rapidly, frustrated that he couldn't explain to them how he felt. _Yeah, he could breathe, but it felt like he couldn't get enough air. He felt like he was drowning, but there was no water anywhere near him._

He felt Steve on his other side. "Danny, try to relax. I know this is terrifying, but Brandon and Kai are going to take good care of you."

Danny grabbed Steve's arm again, not even caring that his blunt nails were digging into the skin just above Steve's wrist.

Steve didn't know what else to do, so he just kept one hand on Danny's back, and the other as an anchor for Danny to grab onto.

As Kai cut Danny's shirt off and started an IV in his forearm, Brandon lifted the hem of Danny's shorts up and cleaned the skin. He efficiently injected a dose of epinephrine into the muscle of Danny's thigh, rubbing it hard with the heel of his hand. That medication needed to get into Danny's bloodstream _now_.

Once the IV was in place, Steve held the bag of solution, while Brandon and Kai efficiently moved Danny onto the gurney, mindful of his surgical site and sling. They secured the portable monitor in between his feet, and hung the IV bag onto the pole above his head. They buckled him in with a blanket over him, and readied him for the trip downstairs.

While they were doing that, Kono had grabbed Danny's bag from the closet and tossed in another pair of shorts and a shirt, as well as his sleep pants that were on the edge of the bed. She snatched his toiletry bag from the bathroom just in case, as Brandon and Kai started down the stairs.

Quickly locking the door behind him, Steve jumped into the back of the ambulance as Brandon followed him. Kai helped him get the gurney situated – they needed Danny lying supine with his legs slightly elevated to help some of the cardiac symptoms. They also placed a pillow underneath his arm, for comfort. It would also be easier to perform rescue breathing in that position, should the need arise. Based on Danny's symptoms, though; this was rapidly becoming a very valid concern.

Once the gurney was secured, Kai hurriedly shut the door and ran for the driver's seat. Kono was already in her car, waiting to follow the bus. They both headed to the hospital, sirens blazing and lights flashing overhead.

En route, Brandon administered another dose of epinephrine, with only a slight improvement in Danny's symptoms. He explained to Steve that multiple doses could be needed before they started to see a turnaround. He noted that Danny's wheezing had not increased further, which was a good sign that while his airway was still very swollen, he was not in imminent danger of having it swell shut…at least for the time being.

Brandon could tell though, that Danny was getting tired – he had expended all of his energy for the past twenty minutes or so just trying to stay alive. Now, the young medic could see that Danny was flagging. His respiratory rate was slowing, but not because he was improving.

Making a quick decision, Brandon grabbed the ambu-bag and positioned himself at Danny's head. "I'm going to have to bag him. He's starting to get tired, and the epinephrine hasn't fully started to work yet. Once we get to the ER, they'll be able to give him medications in conjunction with the Epi, and we should start to see a pretty rapid improvement."

Steve nodded, as he watched Danny's eyes roll back, and then fight their way open again. He didn't even struggle as Brandon secured the mask over his mouth and nose. Keeping up a rhythm, Brandon ventilated using high-flow oxygen.

It was only another two to three minutes until they were pulling up to the ER, but for Steve, it felt like a lifetime. '_Was it only roughly a week ago that he was witnessing almost this exact same resuscitation, only it was a younger member of the Williams family? When would they get a fucking break?'_

As the back doors of the ambulance flew open, Steve waited for Brandon and Kai to pull the stretcher out before jumping out behind them. He knew that he wouldn't be allowed in with Danny, but it didn't stop him from trying to get as close to the trauma room as possible.

He vaguely heard the ER doctors shouting for medications and for a ventilator on stand-by as the doors shut in front of him. He took a couple of shocked steps backwards before his shoulders connected with the wall behind him.

He let himself bend at the waist, with his hands on his knees. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed three small marks on the skin above his wrist and blinked furiously as he remembered how they got there…Danny was holding on for dear life.

He prayed that he wasn't wrong when he told Grace that her Danno would be fine…that her Danno wasn't going to die. He would never forgive himself if he had to look that little girl in the eyes and tell her that he lied to her. He had one thought as he closed his eyes and fought off the nausea that was trying to take hold. _'Please, Danny. Don't make a liar out of me._'

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The trauma room was controlled chaos as the emergency team worked to stabilize Danny. They were busy transferring him to the trauma room gurney, and getting him hooked up to their monitors. It was clear that he was in severe respiratory distress, but for the time being, was holding steady. The few minutes of bagging in the ambulance had given him a small boost, and they were all watching anxiously to see what they would have to do next.

They really didn't want to have to intubate him and cause more swelling, but if he couldn't maintain his airway, they wouldn't have a choice. They were all hoping that the medications would do their job and start to relieve some of the swelling.

"Get me Aminophylline!" Dr. Kuwada happened to be the emergency room doctor on call, but hadn't quite yet put all of the pieces together just yet, and hadn't realized just who her patient was. She was more worried about his status, and keeping him from circling the drain, so to speak.

Danny, to his credit, was still fighting. However, the effects of the anaphylaxis were making him fight too hard – he was almost combative at this point, but wasn't fully aware of what was going on around him.

As she injected the bronchodilator into Danny's IV, she had a few seconds to chat with the paramedics who had brought him in, while she waited to see whether this attempt would finally start to relax the muscles in his airway.

"Hey, Brandon. Give me the scoop." She stepped back to give her staff room to finish drawing their labwork and taking x-rays.

"Okay, Doc. This is Detective Danny Williams. He's one week post shoulder surgery, and according to Commander McGarrett, switched antibiotics this morning due to a low grade fever. He took one dose of penicillin, and went to rest. Apparently he woke in distress after approximately 35 minutes. At that point, he was able to text Commander McGarrett for help."

"Damn it." Abby looked at his face with recognition. When she had told Danny that if there was anything she could do to help him, _this was not quite what she meant_.

She caught Brandon's eye. "Is Commander McGarrett outside? We may need him in here if Detective Williams doesn't calm down. I don't want him to go into respiratory failure because he's so agitated that he tires completely out."

Brandon pointed towards the hallway just outside the treatment room. "He's outside the doors."

Turning back to Danny, she asked that either Brandon or Kai go and get Steve, while she gave the order to give one more dose of epinephrine, and to give two doses of Bendadryl into the thigh muscle. Poor Danny – hopefully he would be able to breathe soon, but his poor leg muscles probably would hate him for a couple of days.

As Steve poked his head into the room, Abby met his gaze with a big grin. "Get over here, you." She caught him up in a hug, immediately feeling the slight tremble in his frame.

Stepping back, she leveled him with a look. "Now are you going to be okay, or do I need to get a chair?"

Steve glanced at Danny before looking back at her. "Depends."

Catching his gaze, she nodded. "I think you should be alright. Danny's holding his own, but I don't like how agitated and combative he is. It's not doing his heart rate any good, and we'd like for that as well as his respiratory rate to come way down. The medications are slowly starting to work, which is good – we just have to walk the tightrope and decide if and when we need to step in and do the work for him, or if his body will cooperate."

Steve blew out a breath and scrubbed at his eyes. A few hours ago, it was pancakes and pedicures – and now it was a race against time in the ER. "What will push you to one side or another?"

Abby glanced up at the monitors. "His numbers. His heart rate may stay a bit high – it's very common with the epinephrine and the Aminophylline, and we can deal with that. But I would love to see him breathing a lot more comfortably than he is right now. His blood pressure is still pretty low – I want to see it improve with the fluids. I just gave him a good dose of Bendryl, so he may be forced to relax whether he likes it or not. But the wheezing is much less than it was, and he's not using every muscle in his upper body to breathe like he was when he first came in."

Steve understood what she meant – when he had looked at Danny earlier, his neck muscles were corded with the effort of inhaling, and when Kai had cut his shirt off, Steve could see the skin along his ribs pulling every time he tried to take a breath.

Dr. Kuwada motioned to the stool at the head of Danny's gurney. "I'm going to have you just sit up there, if you don't mind...see if you can't ground him a bit. This all looks like a very typical bad reaction to the penicillin he took. Do you know if he's ever had a reaction before?"

Steve shook his head. "Not that I know of. The hospital should have his records on file since he had surgery here last week."

Abby nodded. "I'll pull them and see if there's anything I should know about. How is Grace doing?" She didn't remember all of her patients, but for whatever reason, remembered Grace and her family.

Steve smiled softly. "She's doing okay. She had a rough go for a while with some PTSD, but she got some help here, and we're trying to help her at home, too. Chin is bringing her in a little while. She and Danny are staying with me – he didn't want Grace to see him in distress, so I had Chin take her to find a present for Danny. Chin will stall her as long as he can, but I know she'll want to see her dad."

Abby squeezed his shoulder. "And that won't be a problem. Depending on how he recovers, I may just keep him in the ER for a while, or maybe overnight and release him in the morning. Most of the time, once we see improvement, we see _huge_ improvement by leaps and bounds. I don't see this as much more than a terrifying event that you had to take charge of…again."

Her wry grin was a bit sympathetic, but she knew that Steve took that as his responsibility. It was hard not to, given the training he's had, and the crosses he's had to bear.

As he sat down on the stool, she glanced at the monitor and made a few notes into the computer. "So just talk to him, or try to get him calmed down if you can. Once we see numbers that we like, we'll start backing off of the medications. If he continues to do well on his own, we'll talk about getting him out of here, okay? He'll go home with an allergy kit – there's no telling whether this was a onetime reaction or not, but just in case, he'll need to have access to an Epi-Pen. I can make sure he has multiple pens, so he can keep them in the necessary places."

Steve nodded, already thinking about where he could keep the medication so that they all had access to it.

Abby moved back down to Danny, reassessing his vital signs. She smiled as she listened to his lungs, signaling to Steve that things sounded better.

"Hey, Danny." Steve kept his voice low, in case Danny was dozing. But he was met with the sleepy blue eyes of his partner, who had a worried look on his face.

"It's okay, Danny. You're in the ER. You had a bad reaction to the antibiotics, but they've given you medications and things are improving. You may feel like shit right now, but you should start to feel better pretty soon."

Danny rubbed at his chest. "Still hurts."

Abby moved into Danny's line of sight. "Hey, Danny. Do you remember me?"

Danny looked from the doc, to Steve, and back to Dr. Kuwada again before nodding. "Grace."

Abby squeezed his arm. "You got it in one. I don't want you to worry about the chest pain, okay? We've given you a lot of medicine to help the swelling in your throat, and one of the side effects is making you feel like you just ran a marathon, and could keep running right out of your skin. It will fade, though. You are also pretty shaky, which is also a lovely keepsake of another one of the medications. Just know that you're doing really well right now, compared to when you first got here."

Danny locked eyes with Steve. "Where's Grace?" He was trying not to get upset, but he was having trouble connecting all of the dots.

Steve placed on hand on Danny's chest, wanting to ground him. "She's fine. She and Chin are out shopping for a get well present for you. I didn't want her to see the paramedics, so Chin got her out of there. They'll be here in a little while, and Dr. Kuwada said that she could see you when she got here. So just relax, okay? Try to rest, and let the meds do their jobs."

Abby smiled as Danny visibly relaxed once he knew his daughter was safe. "A few more hours of good response to the meds, and we'll stop them and let you rest for a while. If things look good after that, we'll get you out of here, okay? I'm not planning on admitting you, unless you give me a reason to, alright? So just stay nice and cooperative, and make this easy on all of us. Got it?"

Danny blinked tiredly. "Got it." He let his eyes drift shut, the Benadryl dragging him under. He was very aware, though, of his best friend standing guard. It allowed him to relax enough to rest, which would go a long way to helping everyone recover from this.

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End file.
